


home is wherever i'm with you

by pageandpetals



Series: Uni AU: Junmyeon/Jongdae [4]
Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Slice of Life, Sneaking Around, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:35:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22232641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pageandpetals/pseuds/pageandpetals
Summary: It's the most wonderful time of the year. Also, Junmyeon meets Jongdae's parents and Jongdae tries not to have a nervous breakdown about it.(This is a sequel to "Help Me Keep These Hours Alive" (and the other Jundae fics in my uni AU) and takes place approximately a month later.)
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Junmyeon | Suho
Series: Uni AU: Junmyeon/Jongdae [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1036344
Comments: 22
Kudos: 61
Collections: Uni AU





	home is wherever i'm with you

Jongdae looks at the clock on the dashboard, eyes flicking past his phone in the cradle clipped to the A/C vent as he glances back up at the bumper-to-bumper traffic stretching down Market Street as far as the eye can see.

"Hey, Siri," Jongdae snaps, waiting for his phone to light up. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me to take the El?"

"I don't know how to respond to that," Siri drones.

Jongdae's mouth twists in annoyance, and he lifts a hand to turn off the screen, his gaze returning to the clock once more. Junmyeon's train is due to arrive at 30th Street Station in five minutes, and Jongdae's still several blocks away, traffic having slowed to a crawl due to the influx of Black Friday shoppers heading to Center City. He'd spent so much time this week planning for Junmyeon's visit that he'd conveniently forgotten that the city wouldn't shut down for the holiday weekend—quite the opposite, actually.

The cars in front of him start to move, and for a moment he thinks he might be able to get through the next intersection, but the light turns red just as he pulls up in front of the crosswalk.

"God damn it."

Jongdae pounds the steering wheel with one fist and rests his forehead against it with a groan. He just wants Junmyeon to be here already so he can stop stressing himself out about incompetent drivers and his lack of foresight and the very minor, not at all nerve-wracking prospect of introducing Junmyeon to his parents. He's approximately ninety-eight percent sure they'll hit it off just fine, and that makes him feel a little better, but the fact remains that introducing your significant other to your parents is kind of a big fucking deal.

A chorus of car horns blares behind him, and he sits up so quickly his head smacks against the headrest. The light is green now, and there's a sizeable gap in traffic ahead of him, so he coasts through the intersection before any of the cars around him can cut him off and veers into the left lane, just barely making the turn onto the street leading to the the station before the next light turns red.

His phone rings as he approaches the intersection, and his stomach flip-flops when Junmyeon's name and photo pop up on the screen. Jongdae swipes right and taps the speakerphone button. "Hey!"

"Hi!" It's noisy in the background, but Junmyeon's voice comes through clear enough. "I just got off the train and I'm walking into the station now. Where are you?"

"I drove because I'm a fucking idiot, so I'm running a little late, but I'm only about a block away now," Jongdae says. "I'll swing around the main entrance, but you'll have to get a running start, because I'm not stopping the car."

Jongdae grins when he hears Junmyeon's laugh. "Well, now I'm _really_ glad I got that extra shot in my latte this morning. What kind of car is it?"

"It's a navy blue Toyota Corolla driven by an extremely handsome man who definitely didn't oversleep this morning and stumble out of the house without combing his hair," Jongdae says, glancing at his sleep-matted hair in the rearview mirror.

Junmyeon snorts. "I'm sure I've seen you look far worse."

"Hey, watch it," Jongdae says belligerently, his tone belying the smile on his face, "or you can walk your ass the eight miles to my house." He turns right at the next intersection, then makes a quick left into the driveway leading up to the station. "I'm coming up the drive now. See you in a minute."

Jongdae ends the call and takes his foot off the gas, letting the car crawl along the pick-up zone as he scans the sidewalk outside the station entrance for his boyfriend. He puts the car in park when he spots Junmyeon and rolls down the window to shout his name, watching with amusement when Junmyeon's head whips around in search of his voice. Jongdae waves when Junmyeon finally sees him and reaches down to pull the lever that pops the trunk as Junmyeon makes his way over to the car and stashes his snazzy leather duffel in the back before sliding into the passenger seat and fastening his seatbelt.

Junmyeon's face breaks into that bright smile of his that still makes Jongdae's stomach do backflips. "Hi!"

"Hey." Jongdae is suddenly glad he at least remembered to brush his teeth before leaving the house. He reaches across the console to wrap a hand around the back of Junmyeon's neck, drawing him in for a kiss. A car horn blares behind them, and without missing a beat, Jongdae extends his free arm toward the rear window and raises his middle finger. This, of course, causes the other driver to lay on the horn out of spite.

"Oh my god, fuck _off_ ," Jongdae groans, lips still pressed against the corner of Junmyeon's mouth.

Junmyeon pecks him on the lips one last time and gently nudges him toward the steering wheel. "Drive now, please, before that guy gets out of his car and tries to beat the living daylights out of you."

"I could take him." Jongdae shifts the car into drive. "I'm scrappy."

"You sure are," Junmyeon says placatingly, holding back a smile as he rubs Jongdae's arm, and Jongdae's so happy that Junmyeon is finally _here_ that he can't even find it in himself to complain about his gently patronizing tone.

🏠

The traffic is less congested on their way out of the city, so they get back to Jongdae's house in half the time it took him to get downtown.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Junmyeon says as Jongdae turns onto his street. "Do your parents like wine? I brought a bottle of Cabernet for them as a little thank you for, you know, putting me up for the weekend."

Jongdae gasps. "Shit, did I not tell you? They're super religious. No alcohol in the house." Junmyeon's eyes widen in panic, and Jongdae's serious expression dissolves as he bursts out laughing. "I'm just fucking with you."

Junmyeon sags into his seat with a sigh of relief, then scowls at Jongdae. "I should have guessed. You're nobody's definition of a good Christian boy."

Jongdae leers at him, grinning. "And you wouldn't have it any other way."

" _Jongdae_ ," Junmyeon whines, his head lolling to the side as he fixes Jongdae with a pleading look. "I just want to make a good impression!"

"He says, like he's ever made a bad impression on anyone in his entire life," Jongdae deadpans, pulling into the driveway. He parks the car and turns off the engine, clutching the keys in one hand as he reaches over to squeeze Junmyeon's leg with the other. "I'm sure they'll appreciate the gesture, really. Don't worry, all right? They're going to love you."

(Jongdae says it to reassure himself as much as Junmyeon.)

Jongdae leans in to steal a brief kiss before getting out of the car and popping the trunk. Ever the good host, he shoos Junmyeon away from his duffel bag and slings it over his own shoulder instead.

"Is anyone home?" Junmyeon asks as Jongdae stops in front of the little panel next to the garage door to punch in the code that will open it.

Jongdae raises his voice over the loud mechanical grinding of the garage door retracting. "Yeah, Dad should be around. That's his car I borrowed." He ducks under the half-open door and beckons Junmyeon toward the door that leads into the house. "Mom has to work until six, so we probably won't eat dinner until after seven, if that's cool with you." Junmyeon nods. "Are you hungry? I was thinking maybe we could go out and grab lunch in a little bit."

Junmyeon reaches out to squeeze Jongdae's hand. "Works for me."

Jongdae pushes the button mounted beside the doorway, and the garage door closes behind them. "You ready?"

With a nervous smile, Junmyeon nods, and Jongdae opens the back door, leading Junmyeon through the laundry room and into the kitchen.

"Jongdae?"

They round the corner to see Jongdae's dad sitting in the breakfast nook. He looks up from whatever he's reading on his iPad and stands up to greet them. Jongdae feels very jittery all of a sudden.

"Dad, this is Junmyeon; Junmyeon, this is my dad," he says quickly, gesturing between the two of them.

Jongdae's dad looks like he's about to reach out to shake Junmyeon's hand, but Junmyeon bows and launches into his own greeting. "종대의 아버님, 안녕하세요? 저는 김준면입니다. 처음 뵙겠습니다."

Jongdae's dad's mouth drops open just slightly and his eyebrows disappear into his hair, and Jongdae bites his lip and covers his mouth with his hands to stifle the manic giggle threatening to get out.

"네, 준면 씨, 안녕하세요?" Jongdae's dad replies somewhat less fluidly as Junmyeon straightens, then switches to fluent, unaccented English to add, "Sorry, I'm a little rusty. Are you bilingual?"

Junmyeon looks equal parts surprised and embarrassed, but he manages a nod. "My parents initially came to the States for graduate school, but they ended up sticking around. We still have family back in Korea, though, and we used to spend entire summers there when I was a kid, so I grew up speaking both languages."

He slowly turns his head to narrow his eyes at Jongdae, who is shaking with the effort of silencing himself and slumps over the kitchen island in a fit of breathless laughter. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Jongdae gasps.

"Both my wife's parents and mine immigrated before they had kids," Jongdae's dad says, steadfastly ignoring his son. "My mother-in-law tried to do the bilingual thing, but this wasn't too long after the war and neither of our families had many connections left in Korea, so I think they just wanted us to assimilate as much as possible." He hitches a thumb at Jongdae on the floor. "I'm guessing my son never mentioned that his mother and I are both native English speakers, then?" 

"No, he didn't," Junmyeon says through slightly gritted teeth, mouth twisted in a chagrined smile as he aims a kick at Jongdae's shin (missing intentionally, of course). "But I shouldn't have assumed you weren't just because my parents aren't."

"It never came up! How was I supposed to know you had a friggin' speech prepared?" Jongdae gasps, sliding down the side of the cabinet to sit on the floor, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Oh my god, I wish I'd caught that on tape. Dad, your _face_ —"

" _Anyway_ ," Jongdae's dad cuts him off, smiling kindly at Junmyeon as he extends his arm for a handshake, "it's great to finally meet you." He glances down at Jongdae. "But you do realize now that he and your grandmother can never be in the same room, right?"

Junmyeon freezes and the laughter dies on Jongdae's lips. " _Dad!_ " he hisses, mortified. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"No, no, not because he's your boyfriend!" Jongdae's dad shakes his head quickly, looking from Jongdae to Junmyeon and back again. "It's because he speaks better Korean than you, me, Jongdeok, and your mother combined." He turns back to Junmyeon with a wry smile. "You'd make the rest of us look like a bunch of slackers. I can already hear the lecture from my mother-in-law."

"Well, that's Junmyeon for you." Jongdae grins up at Junmyeon as he peels himself off the floor and brushes dust away from the back of his jeans, then slides an arm around Junmyeon's shoulders. "Grandma would disown us and try to adopt you."

Junmyeon's starting to look a little red in the face from all the attention, and Jongdae's starting to feel a little guilty about it, so he leans over to grab Junmyeon's bag and straightens up with a soft grunt.

"I'm gonna go give Junmyeon the tour and let him get settled in and all that," Jongdae tells his dad, jerking his head toward the staircase around the corner, "and then I think we might go out for a bit. We'll definitely be back before Mom gets home, though."

"All right. There's new sheets on the bed in the guest room, Junmyeon, so it's all yours. I'll see you guys later." Jongdae's dad smiles and sits back down at the table. "Oh, and Jongdae?"

Jongdae stops mid-stride and looks over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Keep the door open if you guys are going to hang out upstairs."

A hot flush runs up the back of Jongdae's neck, and he sincerely wishes a sinkhole would open beneath his feet and swallow him so he doesn't have to see the knowing look on his dad's face.

"Yep cool will do okay _bye Dad_ ," Jongdae says far too loudly, grabbing Junmyeon by the elbow and all but dragging him out of the kitchen. He thinks he hears his dad snicker quietly behind him.

Now it's Junmyeon's turn to muffle his laughter, his shoulders shaking as he follows Jongdae upstairs to the guest room and watches him drop the duffel bag next to the door before flinging himself face-first onto the bed.

"I know, I know, I deserved that," Jongdae moans, tilting his head just enough that his mouth isn't completely muffled by the comforter.

"I didn't say anything." Junmyeon catches his breath as he shrugs off his navy wool peacoat, then sits down next to Jongdae, patting him on the ass. "But I am definitely less annoyed with you now than I was three minutes ago. I need your dad to teach me how to take you down a peg or two, because that was just—" He starts to laugh again and dabs a tear away from the corner of his eye with one fingertip. "— _masterful_. God, I'll never forget that look on your face."

"I'm so glad you're entertained by my suffering." Jongdae pushes himself up onto his knees. "I'm going to go throw myself out the window now."

"Oh no you don't." Junmyeon catches Jongdae around the waist before he can get off the bed and hauls him back onto the mattress, flopping down beside him. "Honestly, that wasn't half as mortifying as it would have been with my parents. Your dad seems so much more laid-back by comparison. And I didn't really think we'd get to fool around much this weekend, anyway, what with it being your house and your parents being around."

"Oh, ye of little faith." Letting his head fall to the side, Jongdae eyes Junmyeon with mild disappointment. "Don't you remember? They both have to work tomorrow. We'll have the house to ourselves."

"Well, even if that doesn't pan out, I don't mind." Junmyeon strokes Jongdae's cheek fondly. "I just wanted to spend time with you."

Jongdae's mood soars when he hears those words, so warmed is he by the affection in Junmyeon's tone, but it immediately plummets as he starts to feel guilty about his mind constantly being in the gutter.

"I feel like such a shallow, horny bastard when you say stuff like that." Jongdae leans into the touch and sighs. "Not that I don't want quality time with you, too, but… you know how a plant dies if it doesn't get sunlight? I'm sort of like that, except in this case the sunlight is handjobs."

"Well, we can't have that," Junmyeon says with a laugh, then leans over to kiss Jongdae. "And for what it's worth, I don't think you're shallow."

"What about the horny bastard part?" Jongdae demands, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm going to withhold comment," Junmyeon says delicately. At the sight of Jongdae's scowl, he laughs and adds, "Hey, I didn't say it was a bad thing."

Jongdae narrows his eyes skeptically but curls up on his side next to Junmyeon anyway, pillowing his head on Junmyeon's shoulder and draping an arm across his chest. "I'm really glad you're here," he says quietly.

Junmyeon shifts so he can slide one arm around Jongdae's back, and Jongdae feels his lips press against the top of his head. "Me too."

🏠

It's the most wonderful time of the year—except for the annoying part where the sun decides to call it a day before five in the afternoon. Realizing that they need to get going if they want to do anything while it's still light out, Jongdae drags himself out of bed to change out of the hoodie and joggers he'd thrown on this morning in his haste to get to the train station on time and into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt under a flannel button-down.

"I thought grunge died with Kurt Cobain," Junmyeon remarks with a smirk, glancing up from his phone when Jongdae comes back into the guest room.

"Don't ever let Chanyeol hear you talking shit about Nirvana or you'll never hear the end of it. Also, shut up. This is cozy as fuck." Jongdae pulls a face and flings the puffer vest folded over his arm at Junmyeon. "And I hope you brought more comfortable shoes than those loafers, gramps, 'cause we're gonna be walking a lot."

Jongdae's not joking, either. After hitting the local diner for lunch, they trek back into the city and stroll around the massive western half of Fairmount Park until the street lamps come on, stopping by some of the museums and public art installations along the way and sneaking kisses when no one's watching the two of them. It is, Jongdae thinks, almost revoltingly romantic, but try as he might to deny it, he kind of loves it.

Jongdae's dad is puttering around the kitchen reheating Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner when the two of them get back to the house, grinning and pink-faced from the brisk chill outside (and definitely not because Jongdae had dragged Junmyeon behind the garden shed to make out with him for five minutes before going inside).

"Good timing," Jongdae's dad says, glancing at the digital clock on the stove and back at Jongdae. "Mom should be home in a few minutes. Hope you guys are in the mood for leftovers, 'cause that's all we've got."

"Works for me," Junmyeon says brightly, parking himself on one of the barstools next to the kitchen island. "I mean, am I alone in thinking the best part of Thanksgiving is raiding the fridge at 2 a.m. on Friday for leftovers?"

"Oh, I'm right there with you," Jongdae's dad says. He nods at Jongdae. "This one here begs to differ, by which I mean he's just wrong."

"Look, if you think cold leftover turkey is better than turkey straight out of the oven, you're out of your damn mind," Jongdae says hotly as he unzips his vest and hangs it from one of the coat hooks on the wall before taking a seat beside Junmyeon. "I mean, the skin loses all of its crispiness!"

"The skin isn't even good for you," Junmyeon scoffs at the same time Jongdae's dad says, "The skin is the worst part!"

Both of them laugh, and Jongdae is momentarily paralyzed with horror as he contemplates the similarities between Junmyeon and his father and wonders if there's some weird Freudian shit at play here. Quickly shoving that line of thought into the basement of his brain, he clutches his heart and looks at Junmyeon like he's just committed treason. "How could you do this to me?"

"It's not my fault you have questionable taste," Junmyeon says loftily.

Jongdae smirks. "I think that says more about you than it does about me."

"Don't mind him." Jongdae's dad grins at Junmyeon. "He's just cranky because we're ganging up on him."

"Oh, I know," Junmyeon says, his eyes scrunching into little crescents when he smiles. He reaches up to ruffle Jongdae's hair. "All bark and no bite."

"Oh yeah?" Jongdae gnashes his teeth at Junmyeon's hand. "Remember, Junmyeon, there's a couple of delicious pies in that fridge. It'd be a shame if something happened to them."

Junmyeon's expression turns somber all of a sudden, and he looks up at Jongdae's dad. "I retract everything I just said," he says gravely. Seeing Jongdae's dad's shock at his change of heart, he adds, "I was at my brother's for Thanksgiving yesterday, and my sister-in-law just had a baby last month, and she's on some kind of weird no-sugar diet now, so she didn't think to make dessert, and all my mom brought was _songpyeon_ , which…" He grimaces.

Jongdae's dad gazes at him with sympathy. "Say no more."

"I mean, don't get me wrong," Junmyeon says, holding up his hands, "I like _songpyeon_ just fine, but they don't exactly satisfy a craving for sweets."

"Well, don't worry. We've got you covered." Jongdae pats him on the back and glances over his shoulder when he hears the garage door opening. "That'll be Mom."

"Oh! I have to run upstairs for a second." Junmyeon smiles a little nervously. "I'll be right down."

Jongdae's mother walks in a few seconds later, laden with shopping bags, and both Jongdae and his dad stare at her, eyebrows raised.

"What?" she says defensively, leaving the bags on top of the dryer before closing the door to the laundry room. "One of the stores in my district is in the mall, so I figured I might as well get some of my Christmas shopping out of the way while everything's on sale!"

Jongdae's dad lifts his hands as if to say, "Hey, I didn't say anything," and busies himself with pulling reheated leftovers out of the oven. Jongdae hops out of his seat, offering it to his mom and accepting her kiss on the cheek in thanks before crossing the kitchen to take four plates down from the cabinet. "How was work?"

"I feel like I say 'Oh, this was the busiest Black Friday ever' every year, but this really was the busiest one ever. I need a drink." She drops her head into her hands with a sigh, then suddenly sits up and looks around the kitchen. "Wait, where's Junmyeon? I thought you said he was coming in this morning."

"He's up— no, wait, here he comes." Jongdae suddenly feels the jitters come on again as he hears Junmyeon's footsteps coming down the stairs. He leaves the plates on the dining room table and walks back into the kitchen just as Junmyeon rounds the corner, gift bag in hand. "Junmyeon, Mom. Mom, Junmyeon."

Junmyeon seems to have learned his lesson from earlier in the day because he greets her in English before offering her the gift bag. "Just a little something for having me over this weekend—"

"That's so sweet, you really didn't have to—" Jongdae's mom peers into the bag, then lets out a little gasp of excitement and pulls out the bottle of wine. She studies the label for a moment, then puts the bottle on the island and hops out of her chair, wearing a serious expression as she reaches up to hold Junmyeon's face in her hands.

Jongdae's stomach flip-flops for a moment, and Junmyeon looks flat-out terrified, but then Jongdae's mom asks, "Are you a hugger?"

"Uh— y-yes," Junmyeon stammers, clearly not at all expecting those to be the first words out of her mouth. Jongdae turns around to hide his grin and resumes setting the table as his mother pulls Junmyeon into a hug.

"And you even got my favorite kind, bless you." Jongdae's mom releases Junmyeon and picks up the bottle, walking around the island to fish around in one of the drawers for a corkscrew. Finding one, she bumps the drawer shut with her hip and starts to peel off the foil covering the cork. "How did you know I liked Cabernet? Did Jongdae tell you?"

"Yes," Junmyeon fibs without so much as a blink, and Jongdae could kiss him. He walks back over to the island and leans on the counter beside Junmyeon. "He wanted to make sure if I brought anything that it'd be something you'd actually want to drink."

(Oh, Jongdae could do more than kiss him.)

"You guys!" Jongdae's mother looks between the two of them, beaming. "That is so thoughtful!" She uncorks the wine and fetches a few glasses from the cupboard, pouring one for herself and one for Jongdae's dad before holding up the bottle with a glance at Jongdae and Junmyeon. "Any for you two?"

"Oh, I couldn't, it's for you," Junmyeon says with a shake of his head while Jongdae wrinkles his nose and responds with, "Ew, no, that stuff tastes like paint thinner."

"Yes, you can," Jongdae's mother says firmly, pouring a glass for Junmyeon and pushing it across the counter with a little smile.

Jongdae's dad grabs his wine glass and gives it a little swirl and a sniff before taking a sip, then claps Jongdae on the back. " _Paint thinner_ ," he scoffs, shaking his head. "We gotta work on refining that palate of yours, son."

Jongdae waits until his dad's back is turned to make a face at him, then pulls open the silverware drawer. He glances up from counting forks and knives to see Junmyeon watching him over his wine glass with a hint of a smile on his face, and Jongdae can't help but match it with one of his own. "I'm going to finish setting the table," he says to no one in particular, finally tearing his eyes away from Junmyeon.

"Thanks, sweetheart," his mother says, patting him on the back as he moves past her into the dining room. "Now, Junmyeon, Jongdae says you live in New York…"

🏠

Jongdae feels slightly giddy all through dinner, watching Junmyeon charm the metaphorical pants off of his parents. Jongdae knows he's being completely obvious—the smile he can't seem to wipe off his face, the not-so-subtle glances across the table at Junmyeon (though they're more like lovesick gazes, if he's being honest with himself)—and yet he can't stop himself. He's just _happy_ , and he doesn't really give a shit who knows it.

He's in such a good mood, in fact, that he can't seem to stop volunteering for chores. There's a slightly manipulative angle behind these gestures of goodwill—the more he plays the innocent, the less his parents will suspect anything untoward about his plans for this weekend (or so he hopes)—but he also kind of wants to give his parents and Junmyeon a little more time to chat and get to know each other.

 _A weekend isn't much time_ , he reminds himself somewhat glumly as he rinses off some plates and stacks them next to the sink to be loaded into the dishwasher. Wallowing won't make it last any longer, though, so he tries to focus on the dishes.

"Here's a few more." His mom puts the dessert plates down on the counter next to the sink and pulls down a few mugs from the cabinet.

"I can put the coffee on if you want," Jongdae offers. "I know you've been on your feet all day."

"You're sweet," she says, kissing the side of his head as she crowds his space slightly to fill the coffee pot under the faucet. "But I'll do it. Besides, Junmyeon accidentally got your father talking about golf and I didn't want to fall asleep at the table." She yawns for effect and smiles. "I like him."

"Yeah?" Jongdae tries his damnedest to maintain composure, but it's no use. He grins down at the sink as he rinses pie crumbs off of a plate. "Me too."

"I couldn't tell," she says with a deadpan look, dumping a few scoops of decaf grounds into the filter basket before setting the machine to brew. "How the heck did you land a catch like him?"

"With the dashing good looks and sparkling wit I inherited from my mother, of course." Jongdae is the picture of sincerity, but his face breaks out in a playful grin when she swats at him with the dish towel. "What? It's true!"

(It's only half the truth, technically, because "Oh, I was kind of a jerk to him for the better part of a year and a half, but then I said some nice things to him when he was emotionally compromised and now we are in love" doesn't exactly paint him in the best light; that being said, Junmyeon _is_ a sucker for his smile and his sense of humor.)

"What's true?" Jongdae cranes his head to see Junmyeon standing in the kitchen doorway with a curious smile on his face.

Jongdae's mom shakes her head. "My son is a shameless flatterer."

"Oh, I could have told you that," Junmyeon laughs, moving into the kitchen and leaning against the island.

"Jeez, can't a guy pay his mother a compliment?" Jongdae whines, turning off the faucet and whirling around to point a dripping wet hand at Junmyeon. "And _you_ —quit taking everyone else's side but mine today!"

Junmyeon looks at Jongdae's mother. "Has he always been like this?" he asks, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement.

"Sadly, yes." Jongdae makes an indignant sound when his mother reaches up to pinch his cheek. "But he gets good grades, he doesn't do drugs, and I've never had to worry about him getting a girl pregnant—"

" _Mother!_ " Jongdae buries his face in the dish towel he'd been drying his hands with as Junmyeon bursts out laughing.

"—so if the worst thing anyone can say about him is that he's a pain in the neck sometimes…" His mom shrugs and pats him on the back. "Eh, I think I've done my job well enough."

Jongdae drops the towel on the counter and crosses his arms, looking between his mother and Junmyeon with his mouth scrunched up in annoyance. "If you guys are done talking about me like I'm not here…"

Junmyeon laughs. "I just came in to see if you needed help with anything."

"Oh." Jongdae perks up. "Well, in that case, you can help me load the dishwasher."

"Jongdae!" His mother clucks her tongue at him. "Junmyeon is our guest."

"He's _my_ guest, actually," Jongdae says stubbornly, "and frankly, he owes me for all of the humiliation I've suffered since he got here."

Junmyeon smiles at Jongdae's mother as he walks around the island. "It's fine, really, I'm happy to help."

"See? Happy to help." Jongdae looks pointedly at his mother. "And we'll even bring out the coffee, too, so you can go relax, put your feet up…" _Maybe stop embarrassing me in front of my boyfriend…_

"Well, if you insist…" Jongdae's mom wiggles her fingers over her shoulder in farewell and heads into the living room, where Jongdae's dad is watching TV.

"I like her," Junmyeon whispers once she's out of earshot, stepping aside so Jongdae can open the dishwasher and pull out the bottom rack. "She's funny, like you. And I guess now I know who I have to thank for that smile of yours. Her lips curl up the same way yours do."

Junmyeon reaches out to brush his thumb over one corner of Jongdae's mouth, and it's all Jongdae can do not to grab two handfuls of his shirt and drag him in for a kiss.

But he merely smiles and bends down to start loading dishes and silverware into the dishwasher. "Yeah, that's really the only thing I get from her looks-wise, but we're very similar personality-wise." He extends his arm, gesturing for Junmyeon to keep handing him dishes, and glances up with a little smile. "She likes you, too, by the way."

Junmyeon passes him a couple of plates, clearly relieved. "I thought she might, but she rolled her eyes and left the room really abruptly when I was talking to your dad so I was worried that I did something to annoy her."

"She probably thought she'd be spared any golf talk this year because Jongdeok spent Thanksgiving with his girlfriend's family in LA—I bet it's the only reason she stopped being all mopey about him blowing us off. But I forgot to warn her about you." Jongdae grins and divvies up the silverware into the compartments on the side of the rack, then pushes it back into the dishwasher and closes the door. "I'm sure that got you brownie points with Dad, though."

"Speaking of which…" Junmyeon lowers his voice, and there's a hint of mischief in his smile. "I hope you didn't mind that little white lie I told your mom about the wine. I thought it sounded a little better than 'Nope, just a lucky guess.'"

"I didn't mind in the least." Jongdae matches Junmyeon's smile with an impish grin of his own. He shifts to box Junmyeon in, hands gripping the counter on either side of Junmyeon's waist. "But I couldn't really express my gratitude properly with my parents in the kitchen and all."

Junmyeon glances around, suddenly skittish. " _Jongdae_ …"

"What?" Jongdae frowns. "I was only going to kiss you."

The tension in Junmyeon's shoulders eases significantly. "Oh."

Jongdae smirks. "What did you _think_ I was going to do?"

Junmyeon glances down, flustered, and shoots him a knowing look.

"Oh my god, no," Jongdae laughs, tilting his face up to press his lips to Junmyeon's for a moment, then leans in to whisper, "I'm saving that for my midnight snack."

He steps back just as the coffee maker stops percolating and turns around to take the carafe out of the machine, holding it up with a bright smile in direct contrast to Junmyeon's expression of confounded lust.

"Coffee?"

🏠

The four of them veg out in front of the TV for a while, sipping decaf in relative peace until a commercial for baby shampoo flashes across the screen, at which point Jongdae's mother gasps and abruptly leaves the room.

Junmyeon looks at Jongdae with a puzzled smile, and Jongdae shrugs. "Hell if I know."

When she comes back into the living room, though, Jongdae's face falls. " _No_. No way. Absolutely not."

His mother smiles (wickedly, Jongdae thinks) at him and holds up the photo album she's carrying. "Hey, Junmyeon, you wanna see some baby pictures?"

Junmyeon must have made some kind of pact with Jongdae's parents—or maybe the devil himself—to strip Jongdae of his dignity this weekend, because he immediately says yes, the traitor.

" _Whyyyyyy?_ " Jongdae all but wails at his mother. He gives up trying to yank the album out of Junmyeon's lap and pulls the chenille throw down from the back of the couch to hide underneath it. "I'm the good kid! I call you at least once a week, I do all kinds of housework without being asked, I didn't bail last-minute to spend a _family holiday_ with a girl I've only been dating for three months—"

" _Please_ don't get her started—" Jongdae's dad glances away from the TV in mild alarm, knowing his wife is still aggravated by their elder son's sudden change in travel plans.

"—and yet _I'm_ the one who has to suffer the— the indignity of my mother showing my boyfriend pictures of me in diapers! This is child abuse!"

"He used to make me give him a little faux-hawk with the shampoo whenever he was in the bathtub," his mother sighs. "It was adorable."

Jongdae flails around under the blanket, freeing his head in time to see Junmyeon flipping through the section of the album that's just bathtime photos. Jongdae drags his hands down his face with a moan of anguish and leans his head against Junmyeon's shoulder, silently praying for the sweet release of death.

Junmyeon puts an arm around Jongdae's shoulders and glances down at him, the corners of his eyes crinkled up with amusement. "I'm sorry."

"No, you aren't," Jongdae mutters darkly, his expression half scowl, half pout.

Junmyeon bites his lip to stave off a laugh. "No, I'm really not." Jongdae whines in protest, and Junmyeon rubs his arm. "Okay, will it make you feel any better if I promise to show you my baby pictures someday?"

"No," Jongdae snaps, slumping into Junmyeon's side. He tries to picture Junmyeon's features on a baby. "Well, maybe. A little. Yes."

"Oooh, these are all the ones from the first day of school," Jongdae's mother coos. "I _think_ I have one from every year—"

" _No!_ " Jongdae throws himself across Junmyeon's lap in a panic, covering the album with his upper body. "Bathtub photos are one thing, but puberty is where I draw the line!"

"Oh, fine," Jongdae's mother says with exasperation, tugging the photo album out from underneath his chest and flipping it closed. "But you really didn't have it _that_ bad, all things considered."

 _You try being a scrawny, closeted gay kid whose voice didn't fully change until the end of the eighth fucking grade and see how much fun it is_ , he thinks irritably as he sits up and cocoons himself in the blanket again, but his ire fades when he reminds himself that she couldn't be expected to know about the teasing and bullying he'd endured, not when he'd purposely kept it to himself.

He's only ever spoken about it at length with Baekhyun; even Junmyeon hasn't heard much more than a passing mention on the off chance the topic of grade school has come up. It certainly wasn't as bad as it could have been—no one had ever tried to lay a hand on him, at any rate—but middle school wasn't exactly a walk in the park, either. Now isn't really the time to drop that bomb, though, especially when he hasn't even found the right words to tell his parents that he's been seeing a therapist.

His mother has an early day tomorrow, so she heads to bed not long after this trip down memory lane, having fulfilled her parental obligation of embarrassing her kid in front of his significant other. Tormenting Jongdae takes a lot out of a person, evidently, because Junmyeon taps out not long after, and Jongdae makes a show of yawning and stretching as he bids his dad goodnight so he has an excuse to head upstairs as well.

"I'm not actually tired, though," Jongdae confesses, having followed Junmyeon into the bathroom to brush his teeth. "Play Scramble with me until I get sleepy? And maybe let me win a few times?" He spits out some foam and pouts pathetically at Junmyeon. "It's the absolute least you could do after you and my mom shattered my ego down there."

"I think you'll feel better if you win on your own merits." Junmyeon's face splits into a mischievous smile, and he winds his arms around Jongdae's waist. "God, you were so cute when you were little," he sighs, kissing Jongdae on the cheek. "What happened?"

"That is just… disrespectful," Jongdae mutters through a mouthful of toothpaste, shaking his head. "So rude."

"You didn't let me finish." Junmyeon catches Jongdae's eye in the mirror and tilts his head to kiss the little protrusion of bone behind Jongdae's ear. "What happened is, you grew up and got really handsome—" He kisses Jongdae's neck. "—and beautiful—" His voice drops to a whisper as his hands slide under Jongdae's T-shirt. "—and _sexy_."

Jongdae nearly chokes on his toothpaste, so overcome is he by the swooping sensation in his chest and the warm weight that settles in his lower half. He finishes up as quickly as possible, Junmyeon mouthing at his neck the entire time, but leaves the faucet on to muffle any sounds they might make before turning around in Junmyeon's embrace, sliding his arms around Junmyeon's shoulders, and leaning into him for a proper kiss.

"I would give anything for you to bend me over this sink and fuck my brains out right now," Jongdae whispers when they come up for air, panting against Junmyeon's cheek.

He's a little surprised by how fiercely Junmyeon kisses him in response to that, and thus _extremely_ put out when Junmyeon releases him and reaches around him to turn off the sink.

"Good night, Jongdae," he says gently yet pointedly, his chest still heaving, and Jongdae knows he's being dismissed. He steals one last kiss, then heads to his bedroom to change into his pajamas and rub one out before he sends Junmyeon an invite for a new round of Scramble with Friends.

🏠

Jongdae's still lying awake in the dark of his bedroom half an hour later, getting his ass kicked in Scramble (unsurprisingly), when he hears his dad's heavy footfalls on the carpet outside of his room and the soft click of his parents' bedroom door closing. He forces himself to wait another fifteen minutes to make sure they're definitely asleep before he puts put his phone aside, carefully eases out of bed, and pads across the carpeted floor to his door. He opens it slowly, _slowly_ , and creeps out onto the landing, making sure not to release the doorknob until after the door is pulled shut behind him.

Jongdae hadn't given it much thought until now, but he finds himself extremely grateful that his parents had opted to buy a relatively newer house after they got married rather than one of those ancient Dutch Colonials that were probably around in Ben Franklin's time. Hardwood flooring might be a huge selling point in today's real estate market, but you can't do much sneaking around in a house where the floors creak if you even so much as breathe too loudly.

Jongdae tiptoes across the landing, following the curve of the banister until he reaches the door of the guest room on the other side of the second floor. He opens the door just as noiselessly as he'd closed his own and slips into the room, sucking his lower lip into his mouth to hold off the smug smirk threatening to take over his face.

The mattress springs squeak loudly when Junmyeon jolts, startled, and drops his phone screen-up on the floor. It gives off just enough light for him to see Jongdae lift a finger to his lips.

"What are you doing in here?" Junmyeon hisses, sitting up in bed. Jongdae can see the panic in his eyes in the dim light cast by the night-light plugged into the wall next to the bed, and has to try even harder not to laugh. "I thought you were joking about the midnight snack thing!"

"I never joke about that kind of thing," Jongdae whispers, edging forward to pick up Junmyeon's phone and hand it to him before sitting on the end of the bed near his feet, one leg folded beneath himself. "And I knew you wouldn't sneak into my room, so what else was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, maybe stay in your own bed?" Junmyeon whispers back, throwing his hands up. "What if your parents realize you're not there and they come in here looking for you?" He claws at his face. "I'm going to be public enemy number one and I literally just met them _today_."

" _Junmyeon_." With a little shake of his head, Jongdae crawls over to the other side of the bed and pulls back the comforter, blatantly ignoring Junmyeon's protests and sliding under the covers. "They're asleep. Besides, you saw them at dinner—they really like you. They aren't going to suspect a thing. And I won't stay all night." He wriggles under Junmyeon's arm and drapes himself across Junmyeon's chest like a human blanket, pushing him back against the pillows. Jongdae's voice is soft and pleading when he adds, "It's just… y'know… we haven't had any real alone time since you got here."

Jongdae can feel Junmyeon's resolve begin to crumble when he rubs his cheek against Junmyeon's chest and slides a knee between his thighs, eliciting a nervous whine even as Junmyeon rubs a hand up and down his arm.

"I know, but—" Junmyeon starts, but Jongdae cuts him off with a gentle shushing sound and throws his leg over Junmyeon's hips, moving to straddle him. "Jongdae…"

"I mean this as respectfully as possible," Jongdae murmurs, nuzzling Junmyeon's cheek, "but please shut up."

Jongdae hears him inhale as if he's about to launch into a lecture and quickly stops him with a soft, lingering kiss and a hand on his cheek. "Shhh," he says, kissing the corner of Junmyeon's mouth, then his other cheek and his temple. "Just—" He returns to Junmyeon's lips, smiling into the kiss when Junmyeon's hands settle on his waist. "Let me love you, damn it."

Junmyeon laughs quietly, the sound trailing off into a sigh of resignation. "The flesh is weak."

"I don't know…" Jongdae rolls his hips down into Junmyeon's and smiles when Junmyeon's grip tightens on his waist. He can just barely feel Junmyeon hardening, his dick beginning to press against Jongdae's ass. "Feels pretty strong to me."

Junmyeon's voice comes out in a harsh, accusatory whisper near Jongdae's ear. " _Sex demon!_ "

"At your service." Jongdae cradles Junmyeon's head in his hands and seals their mouths together, leaving Junmyeon breathless when he finally pulls away. "And now I'm gonna need you to be very quiet while I suck your soul out of your dick."

Jongdae's hands slide under Junmyeon's T-shirt to push it up so he can kiss his way down Junmyeon's chest as he all but slithers down his body to kneel between his legs. Jongdae's fingers curl around the waistband of Junmyeon's pajamas, and he tugs them down to mid-thigh, then feels around for the slit in Junmyeon's boxers before reaching inside and drawing out his half-hard cock.

Jongdae takes Junmyeon into his mouth with little preamble, and Junmyeon sinks one hand into his hair, stifling a gasp with the other. He doesn't get to do it this way all that often, but Jongdae likes the feeling of Junmyeon growing hard in his mouth, balls twitching in the palm of one hand while the other strokes the part of the shaft that's not in his mouth. He waits for Junmyeon's cock to fully stiffen and lengthen, until the tip just barely hits the back of his throat, before he starts to suck him off in earnest, bracing his forearms on Junmyeon's thighs to take some of the strain off of his neck.

The night-light doesn't illuminate Junmyeon's face from this angle, but the sounds he makes (or muffles, rather), the way he strokes Jongdae's hair and cheeks, the way his thighs tense and tremble when Jongdae swallows around the head—it's clear that Junmyeon is nearing climax, and that sends a rush of blood down to his own cock. He takes Junmyeon as deep as he can, and even though his eyes are watering and his jaw is aching, he still kind of wants to laugh when Junmyeon grabs one of the pillows and presses his face into it to stifle a moan as he releases down Jongdae's throat.

Jongdae pulls off of him with a little gasp and gently tucks Junmyeon back into his boxers, leaving his pajamas where they are. He reaches forward to pluck the pillow off of his face and rest his own head on it when he flops down beside Junmyeon.

Junmyeon reaches down to pull his pajama pants all the way off and kicks them onto the floor, then rolls onto his side and lets Jongdae fold him into his arms. "God, you're so good at that," Junmyeon says after releasing Jongdae from a lazy, unhurried kiss, his chest still heaving. "Like— like a very sexy dementor."

Jongdae has to bite his fist to keep from giggling. "Oh my god," he whispers, blinking tears of laughter out of his eyes. "What do you wanna bet there's a _Harry Potter_ porno out there where a dementor tries to suck Sirius Black's soul out of his dick? And then Harry shows up to do the Patronus Charm, which is really just code for giving the dementor a facial."

" _Gross_ ," Junmyeon laughs, groaning into Jongdae's neck. "Stop trying to murder my childhood with your filthy imagination."

"You started it!" Jongdae hisses incredulously, poking him in the stomach.

Junmyeon squirms away and catches Jongdae's hand, lacing their fingers together to keep him from tickling Junmyeon further. "That's beside the point."

"Sure it is," Jongdae snorts, but he lets it go and kisses the side of Junmyeon's head, nuzzling his cheek with a little sigh of contentment.

"Weird question: What would your Patronus be?" Junmyeon asks after a couple moments.

"Mmm?" It takes a moment for the question to register. "Oh, definitely some kind of dog… a beagle, maybe?"

"Loud, but very cute," Junmyeon muses, snickering when Jongdae lands a playful punch on his arm. "Hey, I said you were cute!"

"You also compared me to a dementor," Jongdae points out.

"It wasn't a direct allegory!" Junmyeon clarifies in protest. "I mean, you don't suck all the joy out of a room." He lifts his head and guides Jongdae's mouth to his own for a brief kiss, following it with another little peck. "You _are_ the joy."

Junmyeon's voice is warm and sincere, and Jongdae thinks that if he were standing right now he might actually go a little weak in the knees. Still, he can't let an embarrassing line like that go without comment. "You're so corny," Jongdae groans, laughing under his breath as he threads his fingers through Junmyeon's hair and pulls him in for another kiss. "Anyway," he says when they part, "what about you? What would yours be?"

"I'm not sure." Junmyeon thinks about it for a moment, then shrugs. "What do you think?"

Luckily for Jongdae, he's actually put some thought into this before now. "A bunny rabbit," he answers almost immediately.

Junmyeon laughs. "And why is that?"

"Because you have that whole bright-eyed, bushy-tailed thing going for you, and you're kinda nervous and skittish," Jongdae says, ticking the answers off on his fingers, "and you're very cute and cuddly, of course."

Junmyeon takes a moment to consider Jongdae's rationale. "All right, I'll grant you that. But here's another question for you: Which happy memory would you use to summon it?"

"Oh, that's easy." Jongdae waves a hand dismissively. "That last day on Martha's Vineyard, when we just kinda hung out watching movies and eating ice cream and drinking beers by the ocean."

"Oh, yeah, that was nice," Junmyeon says with recognition in his voice, but it turns to wry amusement when he adds, "But I think you're leaving out the most important part."

"That's completely beside the point," Jongdae retorts, grinning into the darkness as he recalls the first time Junmyeon told him that he loved him.

"Sure it is, you sap." Junmyeon plants an obnoxious kiss on his cheek. "But that's what I was going to pick, too."

"Yeah?" Still smiling, Jongdae turns his head on the pillow to look at Junmyeon, even though he can't really make out any of his features in the shadows. "Not the time you won the New England Junior Scrabble Championship when you were twelve, you colossal nerd?"

"Shut up," Junmyeon laughs, rolling on top of Jongdae and digging his fingers into his sides, forcing Jongdae to clap his hands over his mouth to keep from yelping with laughter. Junmyeon shifts, pausing for a moment before he lets one hand drift down to palm Jongdae's semi and leans down to murmur in his ear, "Were you hard this entire time? Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's fine." Jongdae exhales with a shudder and covers Junmyeon's hand with his own. "I was just gonna go jerk off again so I don't have to explain to my mom why there's splooge all over the guest linens."

"You are just… _so_ gross sometimes, you know that?" Junmyeon snorts, his breath warm against Jongdae's cheek, then pauses for a moment. "Wait, what do you mean _again_?"

"What do you _mean_ , what do I mean?" Jongdae says with amusement. "I got myself all worked up thinking about you fucking me on the bathroom counter and then you kicked me out, so I had to go, y'know, take care of business."

"Sorry about that," Junmyeon whispers guiltily, his hand still cupping Jongdae's half-hard cock. "Are you sure I can't help you with this?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm finally getting tired and it's quicker if I take care of it myself." Jongdae props himself up with his elbows enough that he can kiss Junmyeon. "But rest assured, I _will_ be thinking about you the entire time."

"Flatterer," Junmyeon snickers, holding Jongdae's face in both hands and bowing his head for one last kiss that leaves Jongdae feeling a little lightheaded.

Junmyeon rolls off of him and sits up to rearrange the pillows and comforter, and Jongdae scoots around him to get off the bed. He loops his arms around Junmyeon's shoulders to give him a squeeze, and they exchange "good night"s and "I love you"s and a few more kisses before Jongdae tiptoes over to the door. After poking his head out into the hallway to make sure neither of his parents is up and about, he steals back to his room and quietly crawls back into bed, grinning at the ceiling.

He'd never snuck out of bed like that before, mostly because he'd never had a boyfriend stay the night (or meet his parents at all, for that matter) before this weekend. It feels like some weird rite of passage he missed in high school, or some dumb cliché out of a teen movie, at the very least. It's well past one in the morning, but the adrenaline rush suddenly has Jongdae feeling wide awake, even though he was sleepy just a few minutes ago.

 _All the more reason to jerk off_ , he thinks, tugging his shirt over his head and pushing his pajamas and underwear down just enough that he can pull out his dick. He's only a few strokes in when his phone buzzes on his nightstand, and he would ignore it until the morning if it weren't vibrating incessantly.

"The fuck?" Jongdae reaches over to tilt the phone sideways so he can peer at the caller ID and has to silence a laugh with the back of his hand. He unplugs the phone from the charger and rolls onto his back again, still lazily stroking himself as he accepts the call. "Well, hello there."

"Hey," Junmyeon says, his voice low and warm. "I felt bad for leaving you hanging, so I thought you might like some company."

"I mean, you could stop being a killjoy and just come in here," Jongdae suggests. "And I do mean that in more than one way."

Junmyeon groans the way he always does when Jongdae tries to tempt him into doing something he probably shouldn't—like he really, _really_ wants to, but the better angels of his nature are just barely restraining him.

"As much as I'd like to accept that invitation, you share a wall with your parents' bedroom and I know you. Even when you're trying to be quiet, you're _still_ loud." Jongdae can hear the smile in his voice. "You'll wake up the entire neighborhood."

"No, I won't," Jongdae whines in protest, soft enough that the sound won't carry through the walls. "I can be quiet for you. Just… talk to me?"

"All right." The bedsprings creak on the other end of the line; Junmyeon must be making himself more comfortable. "You said earlier we'd have the house to ourselves tomorrow, right?"

"Mmhmm." A little flicker of warmth flares low in his belly as he ponders what Junmyeon could be implying, and his strokes begin to take on an actual rhythm, his movements more purposeful. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm sure you remember the discussion we had on Halloween," Junmyeon starts, and a wave of arousal swoops down from Jongdae's chest and settles heavily between his legs.

He's thought about Halloween a lot over the past four weeks. He can still feel Junmyeon's hipbones slapping against his ass and hear the sound Junmyeon made in response to Jongdae's whispered pleas to fill him up before he acquiesced, cock pulsing as he finished inside of Jongdae.

He drags himself back to the present, now aching for Junmyeon to barge in here and fuck him into oblivion. "Can you refresh my memory? I'm a little… preoccupied at the moment."

"I bet you are," Junmyeon says with a low chuckle. "Still, I thought you'd remember the proposition I made to you."

"The wha—" Jongdae stops mid-sentence with a soft _oh_ , another surge of desire swirling somewhere behind his navel as he finally grasps Junmyeon's meaning. "You mean when you asked if I wanted to top sometime?"

"Yeah. Have you given it any thought?"

"Have I given it any thought," Jongdae repeats with a soft, incredulous laugh. He really can't understand how Junmyeon can be so calm when he asks questions like this. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

But Junmyeon is insistent. "Answer the question."

"Of course I have," Jongdae scoffs, but then he falters, suddenly and inexplicably shy. "Are— are you saying that's what you want? You really want me like that?"

"Jongdae," Junmyeon says, and the way his name sounds on Junmyeon's lips always gives Jongdae a little thrill. "I want you in every single way you'll let me have you."

Jongdae's struck speechless for a moment, turning the words over in his head. A pleasant shudder rolls through him at the idea of Junmyeon giving himself over to Jongdae like that. Junmyeon trusts him so implicitly, and Jongdae's not quite sure whether that's supposed to bring him comfort. It does, but at the same time he can't help but feel the weight of expectation, even though it's most assuredly self-imposed.

 _Get out of your head, get out of your head, get out of your head_ , he tells himself forcefully.

"I want you, too," Jongdae says finally, his hand picking up speed as he closes his eyes and pictures Junmyeon spread out beneath him, heels digging into the small of Jongdae's back as Jongdae enters him for the first time. He tightens his grip slightly and imagines pushing Junmyeon up against his bedroom door, hears the rattling of the doorjamb with every roll of his hips. "But I didn't— I didn't realize how much I wanted _that_ until it became an option. It's just…" He sighs. "I haven't done it in such a long time that I don't even know if I'll be any good at it, and I want you to, y'know, actually enjoy it."

"I don't know if you're aware of this, Jongdae," Junmyeon says in a low voice, as if he's telling Jongdae a secret, "but you're a little bit of a wildcat in the sack. So I feel fairly confident in saying that once you, ah, get your bearings, it'll be great."

Jongdae smiles. "You give the best pep talks."

"Well, it's easy when all I have to do is state objective truths," Junmyeon points out, his tone still slightly conspiratorial. "You are very good in bed, it's just a fact."

Jongdae's ears and neck feel very warm all of a sudden. "The key," he says with a chuckle, "is striking the right balance between romantic and slutty, or whatever it is that makes you go all red in the face and tell me I'm shameless."

"You are, but that's sort of what attracted me to you in the first place," Junmyeon says. "You're just so… carefree, I guess. Fun. Unpredictable. Keeps me from being a total stick in the mud. I really need that sometimes."

"Oh, I'm well aware," Jongdae says with a soft, dry laugh. "I mean, I don't push your buttons for my benefit alone, but I'll totally cop to getting off on driving you slightly mad with lust."

"Gee, I couldn't tell," Junmyeon snorts.

"You really don't understand how fucking hot it is to see a boy scout like you go off the rails, though." Jongdae begins to stroke himself more quickly, thinking about the last time they were together. "I mean, just thinking about you getting a little rough with me gets me so hard I can barely stand it. Because I'm the only one who gets to see you like that, and maybe this sounds kind of fucked up, but it makes me feel, like… special, in some way?"

For a moment, there's nothing but the sound of their breathing. "Junmyeon?"

"I'm here. I was just—" There's a note of disbelief in his laugh. "I had one of those wild moments where I briefly entertained the idea of sneaking into your room, pulling you onto the floor—you know, so the bed doesn't creak—and just… having my way with you. Consensually, of course," he adds. "But then I thought… mmm, no, you'd get rug burn."

" _Jesus._ " Jongdae has to bite his fist to muffle the whimper that squeaks out of his throat at the thought of getting fucked so thoroughly that his hands and knees are rubbed raw by the carpeting. "If I wasn't _this close_ to coming, I'd walk right in there and sit on your dick," he pants, jerking himself as fast as he can.

"Mmm… I like when you do that," Junmyeon says softly. "Is that what you want me to do to you tomorrow?"

Jongdae contemplates what it would feel like to have a lapful of Junmyeon hot and tight around his cock, and that's the image he sees on the insides of his eyelids when he comes, hips and back arching off the mattress so he can thrust into his fist as pleasure ripples outward from his core and streaks of come hit his hand, forearm, and chest.

"Jongdae?"

Jongdae flops back onto the mattress feeling heavy and sated. "I told you I could be quiet."

"So you did," Junmyeon says with quiet amusement. "I'm impressed."

"It was a team effort." Jongdae closes his eyes and smiles to himself. "Couldn't have done it without you." He takes a deep breath and lets it out with a sigh. "God, I'm tired."

"Then sleep." Junmyeon's voice settles over Jongdae like a warm blanket. "I'll see you in the morning."

Jongdae dozes off with the phone still held to his ear, but as he drifts into that space between sleep and awake, he can just barely make out Junmyeon's whispered "Love you."

🏠

Jongdae awakens to see sunlight streaming through the gap in the curtains and immediately closes his eyes again, stretching his arms over his head. His skin feels oddly dry, though, so he pushes himself up with his elbows and cracks one eye open to find that he's mostly naked, and on top of that, he's also spattered with a thin film of dry come. _Gross._

Cursing under his breath at stupid, horny Jongdae after dark, Jongdae pulls his boxers all the way up and pats the sheets around him in search of his phone. Of course, it's only after he gets up and pulls the mattress away from the wall to make sure his phone hadn't fallen under the bed that he finds it just barely tucked inside of a pillowcase. Figures.

Wide awake at this point, Jongdae checks the time—almost eleven o'clock, what the fuck?—and shuffles off to shower and brush his teeth. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he pokes his head into the guest room on the way back to his own bedroom, but Junmyeon's not there. After throwing on some clean clothes and making his bed, Jongdae finds Junmyeon downstairs, sitting on a stool at the kitchen island with a cup of coffee. He's reading something on his phone, but he glances up with a teasing smile when he hears Jongdae's footsteps on the landing.

"I see Sleeping Beauty's finally come down from his tower."

"Yeah, well, he had to wake himself up. He didn't get his kiss 'cause Prince Charming was down here trying to come up with that joke for the past—" Jongdae slides his arms around Junmyeon's waist, yawning as his chin settles on Junmyeon's shoulder. "How long have you been awake, exactly?"

"Mmm, like an hour and a half?" Junmyeon leans his head against Jongdae's. "And for your information, it's Prince Philip who wakes up Sleeping Beauty, or at least it is in the Disney movie."

"Whatever, nerd," Jongdae sneers, laughing when Junmyeon reaches up in an attempt to give him a noogie. He ducks away to rummage in the fridge after leaving a loud, wet kiss on Junmyeon's cheek, then hops up onto the stool next to Junmyeon armed with a fork and the foil pie plate containing the last slice and a half of apple pie.

Junmyeon lifts an eyebrow at him. "Are you seriously eating pie for breakfast?"

"It's called 'living my best life.'" Jongdae pulls back the plastic wrap and cuts off a small piece with the side of his fork. "Don't hate me 'cause you ain't me."

The fork is halfway to his mouth when he catches the longing look on Junmyeon's face. He puts it down with a sigh and leans over to pull open the cutlery drawer and grab another fork. Pushing the pie plate slightly to his right so it's sitting between them, he wordlessly offers the second fork to Junmyeon.

"Have I told you lately," Junmyeon says, immediately digging in, "how good-looking and smart and funny and talented and generous and—"

Jongdae's cheeks suddenly feel warm, and he glances down at the pie plate with a smile as he nudges Junmyeon with his elbow. "Shut up and eat your pie, Junmyeon."

Junmyeon manages to fully express his gratitude after Jongdae finishes putting the dishes away, though, pinning him against the cabinets before getting to his knees and sucking him off right there in the middle of the kitchen.

"Wow," Jongdae pants, zipping his fly and following Junmyeon with his eyes as he straightens and brushes dust and crumbs from the knees of his jeans. "I should indulge your sweet tooth more often."

Junmyeon traps him with his hands on the counter on either side of Jongdae, just as Jongdae had done to him the night before, and fixes him with that mildly exasperated yet amused look Jongdae's used to seeing in response to his sarcasm or teasing.

"I mean, that wasn't really why I did it," Junmyeon says with a wry smile, "but it certainly didn't hurt."

Jongdae glances behind himself to make sure he's not going to knock anything over before hoisting himself up onto the counter with his hands. Spreading his legs so there's enough room for Junmyeon to stand between them, he digs his heels into the backs of Junmyeon's thighs and pulls him up against the counter, then loops his arms around Junmyeon's shoulders and slouches forward enough for their foreheads to touch.

"Hey," Jongdae murmurs, jolting just the slightest bit when Junmyeon's hands move from the countertop to rest on Jongdae's thighs instead.

Junmyeon's voice is equally soft. "Hi."

Jongdae relishes these moments; they're like the calm before the storm, before he's swept away by the force of how much he _wants_ Junmyeon. In these moments, it's as if everything shifts into slow motion: the few seconds it takes for Jongdae to tilt his head, for the tip of his nose to drag against Junmyeon's cheek, for the slightest puff of breath to pass his lips… they feel as long as years. It would be unnerving if it weren't deliberate, if it weren't Junmyeon's lips a hair's breadth from his own.

The anticipation of closing that gap still makes Jongdae feel as though he's on a roller coaster at the highest point of the track, just a split second before the first drop. Lately, that drop sends him into a frenzy, as if someone's pushed the fast-forward button one time too many and he can't let another second go to waste, but today there's no intent in the soft press of his lips against Junmyeon's, no finish line he's gunning toward, and there's something liberating about that.

There are few things Jongdae likes as much as kissing, but he can't remember the last time he and Junmyeon had spent as little as half an hour just making out—fully clothed, hands (mostly) above the waist—without treating it as little more than a stepping stone on the way to the main event. Jongdae knows that's partially his own fault, patience being a virtue in which he is sorely lacking, but he also knows he wouldn't be in such a hurry if they weren't always racing against the clock, trying to make the most of what little time they have together. But today—for once—time is on their side, and he wants to at least _try_ to live in the moment.

Junmyeon's arms wind loosely around Jongdae's waist, his hands settling lightly against the small of Jongdae's back. With a contented sigh, Jongdae rests one palm against the side of Junmyeon's neck, fingertips tracing tiny circles in the short hairs around the nape. Jongdae thinks it's sort of funny that any other day he would already have his tongue in Junmyeon's mouth and one hand halfway down the front of his jeans, but today he cedes control, waiting for Junmyeon to tease _his_ mouth open instead.

Jongdae breaks the kiss after a few minutes with a soft laugh. "Mmm, you taste like apple."

Junmyeon catches his lips again, just briefly, then smiles. "So do you."

Jongdae sifts his fingers through the back of Junmyeon's hair, messing it up a little. "This is really nice," he says quietly, "buuuut this countertop is really hard and my ass is killing me. Do you mind if we go in the living room?"

Junmyeon noses at his cheek. "Not upstairs?"

His tone makes Jongdae's insides squirm pleasantly. "Not yet," he says, guiding Junmyeon's lips back to his own. "I just wanna kiss you like this for a little longer, if that's okay."

"Of course it's okay," Junmyeon says warmly, stroking Jongdae's back with one hand. "Hold on tight."

"Huh?" Jongdae leans back to look at Junmyeon, puzzled, but then Junmyeon's hands hook around the backs of Jongdae's knees, and Jongdae clutches Junmyeon's shoulders with a little yelp as Junmyeon lifts him off the counter. Jongdae clenches his thighs around Junmyeon's waist and crosses his ankles. "Jesus Christ, give a guy some warning!"

"I did," Junmyeon laughs, carrying him around the island and into the hallway. "You just have slow reflexes."

"You call that a warning?" Jongdae huffs, clamping his arms tightly around Junmyeon's shoulders, his cheek pressed against Junmyeon's ear. "You could have dropped me!"

"Would you like me to put you back on solid ground?" Junmyeon asks with a dry laugh.

"… Not really," Jongdae says in a small voice, tightening all of his limbs around Junmyeon in his best impression of a koala.

"Too bad." Junmyeon pats Jongdae on the ass as he comes to a stop and sits down on the arm of the couch. "Down, boy."

Jongdae uncoils himself from Junmyeon's body and leans back slightly to take stock of their surroundings. "You first," he says, grinning as he throws his weight forward so Junmyeon loses his balance and falls back against the cushions with a little shout, his legs hanging over the arm of the couch. Junmyeon makes a face at him, and Jongdae cradles Junmyeon's face in his hands with a mocking smile. "What? I gave you a warning."

"All right, I deserved that," Junmyeon says with a good-natured roll of his eyes and a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Jongdae nods solemnly. "You did, but I am a benevolent and forgiving boyfriend, so you can have this, too," he says, leaning in to pick up where they'd left off in the kitchen.

🏠

They're still on the couch half an hour later, albeit in a slightly different configuration, Junmyeon having scooted back toward the other end of the couch to give the two of them some more room. Jongdae's stretched out on top of Junmyeon, hips comfortably settled between Junmyeon's thighs—though perhaps less comfortably now that both of them are noticeably hard and the chaste touches they'd started out with have begun to veer toward heavy petting.

But Jongdae finds that, despite his general lack of patience, a slow buildup—the low but constant thrum of arousal in his gut, the gradual change in the sounds Junmyeon makes, the imperceptible shift toward urgency—is equally as satisfying as their more impassioned encounters, if not more so.

Junmyeon has one hand up the back of Jongdae's shirt and the other splayed out over one of the back pockets of Jongdae's jeans, and when he starts to push down on Jongdae's ass while simultaneously grinding up against him, Jongdae stops kissing Junmyeon's neck and presses his nose into Junmyeon's cheek with a sharp intake of breath.

"I think—" Jongdae lets Junmyeon interrupt him with a kiss, then clutches his face with a breathless laugh, keeping him still. "I think we should go upstairs now."

Junmyeon's hands migrate to Jongdae's waist, and he sighs, contented. "You're full of good ideas today."

"You don't know the half of it," Jongdae says, his insides wriggling with anticipation at the thought of what awaits them in his bedroom.

He steals one last lingering kiss, then pushes himself up and off the couch, offering Junmyeon a hand up as well. It takes them a bit longer than it normally would to get up to Jongdae's room because they keep pushing each other up against the walls to make out furiously along the way. Jongdae has to turn the doorknob to his bedroom with a hand behind his back while Junmyeon mouths at his neck, and Jongdae only just manages to stop them from toppling over when the door opens. He walks backwards into the room and pushes Junmyeon up against the door once it's closed and locked.

"It's barely noon and you're stumbling around like you're wasted," Jongdae remarks with amusement, slipping his hands under Junmyeon's T-shirt and pushing it up his chest and over his head once Junmyeon lifts his arms. He stops before the shirt clears Junmyeon's wrists, however, twisting the fabric and pinning his arms to the door with one hand. "What's that about, hmm?"

Junmyeon grins, his eyes squeezed into little crescents. "You're intoxicating."

"That's it." Jongdae covers Junmyeon's face with his free hand. "No more talking."

Junmyeon licks Jongdae's palm in retaliation. "I'm hilarious."

"You really aren't," Jongdae says with a grimace, pulling his hand away from Junmyeon's face and wiping it on his jeans. "But it's understandable—you're hot and smart, so of course the universe was like, 'Well, we can't let him be funny, too! He'd be too powerful!'"

"Yeah, but _you're_ smart and hot and funny," Junmyeon points out. "How do you explain that?"

Jongdae preens. "I guess the universe makes an exception once in a while."

"Maybe." Junmyeon smirks. "But that might explain why you're so annoying. The universe had to compensate for all of your gifts by making you whiny and obnoxious."

"Honestly, that's the more likely explanation," Jongdae snorts, pressing his body into Junmyeon's and lowering his voice to add, "but I know you kinda get off on that, so I'll take it."

Jongdae cuts off Junmyeon's soft moan with a kiss and slowly trails his free hand down Junmyeon's chest, pausing when his fingertips brush against the waistband of Junmyeon's jeans. He manages to unbutton them one-handed with only a little fumbling, breaking the kiss to bury his face in Junmyeon's neck as he draws the zipper down, inhaling Junmyeon's cologne as he trails soft kisses from his jawline downward. Junmyeon laughs in surprise when Jongdae's hand slips into his jeans not to palm his cock but to squeeze his ass through his underwear.

"I don't know why either of us even bothered to get dressed today," Jongdae mumbles, shifting his head to kiss his way down the other side of Junmyeon's neck, still groping his ass. He's starting to lose feeling in the hand that's pinning Junmyeon's wrists against the door, but he doesn't let go, distracting himself by slowly grinding his hips into Junmyeon's.

Junmyeon pulls his lips between his teeth briefly to muffle a grunt, trying his best to lean into Jongdae's movements. "I couldn't exactly walk around naked while your dad was still home," Junmyeon snorts. "Besides, maybe I like it when you undress me. Or maybe I like how much you seem to like doing it."

A surge of arousal settles heavy and warm in Jongdae's gut, and he lifts his head to kiss Junmyeon full on the mouth again. "Are your arms going numb?" he asks breathlessly, lips still so close to Junmyeon's.

Junmyeon tips his head forward just enough to close the gap between them again. "A little," he admits when they part, so Jongdae helps him get his shirt the rest of the way off, dropping it on the floor as Junmyeon's arms encircle his shoulders. Junmyeon jumps a little when Jongdae's newly freed hand sneaks under his jeans to cop a feel as well. He briefly glances down and then back up at Jongdae, arching an eyebrow as a smile pulls at his lips. "Having fun?"

Jongdae squeezes his ass with both hands and grins. "With you? Always."

Junmyeon kisses him and pushes off from the door, walking Jongdae backwards slowly, aimlessly. "Don't get all sentimental on me now," he teases, tipping his head forward to nuzzle Jongdae's cheek.

"Hey, I can be romantic and still be a lean, mean fucking machine," Jongdae says defensively. "I'm like one of those big fancy cakes. I have _layers_."

"True. Plus, you're sweet—" Junmyeon cradles the back of Jongdae's head with one hand and kisses him on the cheek. "—and you look like a piece of art—" Then his jaw. "—and you taste good—" He tips Jongdae's head just slightly to the side and presses his lips to Jongdae's neck. "—and I can't fit all of you in my mouth at once—"

Jongdae throws his head back and laughs. "God, you're so fucking corny," he says, pulling his hands out of Junmyeon's pants so he can whip his T-shirt off.

"Yeah, but you laughed anyway," Junmyeon points out with a smug smile, hooking his fingertips into the band of Jongdae's jeans. "So I win."

Jongdae pats Junmyeon's cheek as he leans in for a kiss, his tone faintly patronizing. "Keep telling yourself that, babe."

The endearment slips out unexpectedly, and it doesn't quite register to him until Junmyeon slowly extracts himself from the kiss and leans back with a curious look on his face. "I thought you weren't into pet names."

Jongdae's eyebrows shoot up. "I'm not," he says, his mouth hanging open. "Or… I thought I wasn't. Was that— that was weird, right?" He pulls a face and looks up at Junmyeon, deflating somewhat. "Aaah, I made it weird, didn't I? Sorry, I didn't even realize—"

"Jongdae," Junmyeon interrupts him, gently taking his hands. He smiles. "I don't mind. I was just surprised, that's all. I didn't think you were ever going to change your stance on that particular issue."

Jongdae pauses in playing with Junmyeon's fingers and glances up with one arched eyebrow. "Did you _want_ me to change my stance?"

"Ah…" Junmyeon shrugs, looking faintly sheepish. "I don't know. Maybe a little? I guess I hoped you'd be open to reconsidering at some point in the indeterminate future."

"Oh," Jongdae says, feeling a little guilty as he squeezes Junmyeon's hands. "Have you just been stockpiling cute nicknames while you wait for me to quit being an emotionally crippled snark factory? Because now you _have_ to tell me what they are."

"You're not emotionally crippled." Junmyeon frowns and drops Jongdae's hands to pull him into a hug instead. Jongdae puts his arms around Junmyeon's neck and rests his cheek against Junmyeon's shoulder, his head turned in toward Junmyeon's neck. "And no, I haven't given it _that_ much thought. I guess I just wondered what might fit you best. Baby… hot stuff… _stud muffin_ …"

Jongdae groans and curls in on himself as Junmyeon shakes with laughter. "Can't we just stick with 'sex demon'? I like that one."

"I can't exactly call you that in mixed company, though," Junmyeon points out, running his hands up and down Jongdae's back.

"You better not ever call me _stud muffin_ in front of another living soul if you don't want me to die of embarrassment," Jongdae says forcefully, lifting his head to look at Junmyeon again. He sighs. "Look, we don't have to make a whole _thing_ out of it. Just— just say whatever feels the most natural, I guess."

Junmyeon nods, looking solemn and thoughtful for a moment, but his lips twitch just a second before he says, "Stud muffin it is."

Torn between amusement and utter mortification, Jongdae settles for scrunching his face up and huffing through his nose like an angry bull as Junmyeon dissolves into laughter and tightens his hold on Jongdae so he can't escape.

"I'm joking, I'm joking," Junmyeon gasps, trying to pull himself together. He leans forward as if to kiss Jongdae, but Jongdae turns his head and shoots him a sidelong glare. Undaunted, Junmyeon tries to get him on the cheek, but Jongdae turns his head further. "Jongdae."

If Jongdae tries to turn any more, he's going to go full Linda Blair, so he just stays put as Junmyeon's voice takes on a slightly more pleading tone. " _Jongdae._ "

Jongdae is still unmoved. Junmyeon uncoils one of his arms from Jongdae's waist and lifts a hand not to turn Jongdae by force but simply to sift his fingers through Jongdae's hair, lightly scratching the back of his head. His voice is soft and perhaps a little tentative as he tries a different tack. "… _Baby_?"

 _God, I am so fucking whipped_ , Jongdae thinks despairingly as he turns his head ever so slowly to face Junmyeon, one eyebrow slightly raised. "Mmhmm?"

Junmyeon smiles, fingers still playing in Jongdae's hair. "I promise I'll never call you st—"

"Don't say it!"

"—that stupid name ever again," Junmyeon finishes smoothly, leaning forward to rub the tip of his nose against Jongdae's. "Are you gonna let me kiss you now?"

Jongdae shrugs, doing his best to appear nonchalant even though his insides are doing backflips. "I _guess_."

He sheds the air of ambivalence almost the second Junmyeon's lips are on his, however, all but melting into his arms. "Pants," he mumbles when he breaks away briefly to catch his breath, reaching down to undo his fly and shove his jeans down far enough that he can wriggle out of them and pull them the rest of the way off with the aid of his freakishly dexterous toes.

Jongdae guides Junmyeon back toward the bed, now pushing his jeans down from his hips (and giving Junmyeon's butt another squeeze while he's at it). "Sit," he says, stopping Junmyeon by the side of the bed and gently pressing down on his shoulders.

He helps Junmyeon get his jeans the rest of the way off before straddling his lap, feet hanging off the edge of the bed. Junmyeon's arms wind around his waist and pull him close, palms splayed out on Jongdae's back.

There are few things he likes as much as Junmyeon holding him this way, like he's something precious that should be handled with care. Jongdae cradles Junmyeon's face with both hands and kisses him deeply once, twice, a soft sigh of contentment escaping as he tilts his head to nuzzle Junmyeon's cheek.

"I feel like I always make everything about what I want, so…" Jongdae strokes the shell of Junmyeon's ear with his thumb. "What do you want?"

Junmyeon trails a line of kisses down the curve of Jongdae's neck and along his shoulder. "You, mostly."

Jongdae shivers. "What, no foreplay?"

"I mean, you got me pretty wound up downstairs," Junmyeon laughs softly. "And up here. And I might have taken an excessively long shower this morning, if you know what I mean. So… I think I'll survive without it."

"I'm sorry, did you— did you _finger yourself_ in my shower today without waking me up first?" Jongdae leans back enough that he can look at Junmyeon. "Do you actually love me? Because I'm starting to have some doubts here."

Junmyeon pulls a face at him, but he's smiling. "Of course I do," he says, falling back on the mattress and taking Jongdae with him. "Besides, that bathtub is a death trap. I just barely saved myself from slipping, like, five times. I feel like having another person in there would be a recipe for disaster."

Jongdae grimaces and climbs off of him, sliding off the edge of the bed to dig around in his duffel bag for the lube he'd brought home with him. "Yeah, the old nonslip mat got all funky, so my mom threw it out," he says, crawling back onto the end of the bed with the bottle in hand, "but my parents keep forgetting to buy a new one because they have their own bathroom and no one uses the other one when I'm at school. So I guess it's for the best you let me sleep in, because it would be just my luck for us both to slip and get knocked out, and then my parents would wonder where we were and they'd break the door down to find us naked and unconscious and I'd straight up die of humiliation if I wasn't probably already dead."

"Well, that took a dark turn," Junmyeon says with amusement after a few seconds of silence, scooting up toward the head of the bed.

Jongdae grins and wriggles himself between Junmyeon and the wall. "Ooh, good title for the autobiography I'm never gonna write," he says, stashing the lube under his pillow for the moment so his hands are free to wander when he winds his arms around Junmyeon to make out with him some more.

And wander they do, naturally gravitating toward Junmyeon's ass. Jongdae hooks his thumb underneath the waistband of Junmyeon's underwear and tugs, pulling the fabric down and over his cheeks.

"God, you have the best ass," Jongdae sighs, kneading one cheek with his fingertips. "It's, like, all muscular and juicy and _smackable_ …" He demonstrates with a light slap. "I mean, look at that. That's the perfect amount of jiggle. We're talking sit-on-my-face good here."

Junmyeon shimmies all the way out of his underwear, laughing awkwardly. "Yeah, okay."

"I'm serious!" Jongdae pushes himself up on one elbow, adamant, and fumbles for the bottle of lube. "I'd eat you out in a heartbeat."

"Uh…" Junmyeon looks like a deer caught in headlights for a moment, his eyebrows halfway to his hairline. "I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm going to decline."

"Wait, really?" Jongdae doesn't mean it to, but his face falls slightly. He sinks back down onto the pillow, clutching the lube in one hand while the other stays on Junmyeon's backside. "Can I ask why?"

"I don't know." Junmyeon shifts uncomfortably. "It just seems kind of… questionably hygienic? And I don't particularly think I would like to reciprocate, and that wouldn't really be fair to you, so… pass."

"Well, I mean, not everything has to be a quid pro quo, babe," Jongdae says, leaning into the whole pet name thing. "I'm not gonna break up with you just because you don't wanna lick my asshole."

Junmyeon closes his eyes for a moment and then opens them again, reaching up to cup Jongdae's face in his hands. "You know, I look at you sometimes and I think to myself, 'God, he's _so_ beautiful,'" he sighs, shaking his head. "And then you open your mouth."

"Yes, I know, I'm disgusting," Jongdae says, lifting his hand off of Junmyeon's ass to wave it dismissively. "And don't change the subject. You think I don't know what you're doing? That's a diversion tactic straight out of the JD Kim playbook."

"Touché," Junmyeon says with a sheepish smile. "All right. Go on."

"All right. Well. Circling back to the hygiene question…" Jongdae shrugs. "If you're at least as scrupulous as I am about that kind of thing, it'll probably be fine. But if it grosses you out that bad, I know how to make a makeshift dental dam out of a condom, so, y'know, there's that." He reaches up to cover Junmyeon's hand with his own. "Look. If you really don't want me to do it, I'll never bring it up again. But if you're just squeamish about it on my behalf, don't be. I am pro–eating out. Like, _very_ pro. Like, gonna run for office on the Please Sit on My Face ticket–pro."

Junmyeon hides his face in the pillow, laughing. "Imagine what that campaign would look like."

"Hey." Jongdae nuzzles his cheek, and Junmyeon turns his head toward him. "I love you, and I just… wanna make you feel good, that's all. So I don't need an answer right now. I'm just asking you to think about it."

"That sounds fair," Junmyeon says, nodding slowly, but there's still a hint of skepticism in his expression. "You sure this isn't a dealbreaker?"

"What?" Jongdae shakes his head. "Of course it's not. So I don't get to fuck you with my tongue. Who cares? I'm just grateful to get laid at all, and I mean that, truly. I am honored that you would allow me to pump you full of—"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence, though, because Junmyeon swoops in to kiss him full on the mouth, one hand slipping between them to palm Jongdae through his boxers. Jongdae whimpers high in his throat and leans into the touch, breaking the kiss with a gasp.

"Please don't finish that sentence," Junmyeon says, his pleasant tone belying the warning there.

"You only _think_ you know how it ends," Jongdae retorts, poking him in the chest. "'Full of my everlasting love and affection' is what I was gonna say. If your mind went somewhere else, that's on you, pervert."

Junmyeon shushes him softly, unable to keep from smiling. "Are you nervous? Is that why you're so… chatty?"

"I honestly don't know," Jongdae says, and he means it. "I just feel all… wired, I guess?"

"Hmm." Junmyeon studies him for a moment, then plucks the lube out of Jongdae's hand. "Take off your boxers."

Well, that line always gets Jongdae's engine running. He lifts his hips off the bed and pushes his boxers down, flinging them halfway across the room with one of his feet, and then Junmyeon is straddling his thighs and squirting lube onto his fingers.

"Are you doing what I think you're about to do?" Jongdae asks, the want plain on his face as he skims his hands up Junmyeon's thighs.

"If you think I'm about to finger myself," Junmyeon says, slipping his hand between his legs and taking a deep breath, "then you would be correct."

Jongdae relaxes into the mattress with a shuddery sigh and wraps a hand around his cock, stroking himself slowly as he watches Junmyeon ready himself. "You're so good to me."

"Yes," Junmyeon says with a little grunt, and Jongdae has to make a real effort to tear his eyes away from the sight of Junmyeon's wrist flexing as he works himself open. "But only because you deserve it."

Jongdae's glad he's already lying down, because hearing stuff like this has the tendency to make him feel all soft and melty and puts him in the mood for a cuddle. "Really?" He sticks out his lower lip slightly. "Foul mouth and all?"

Junmyeon withdraws his fingers with a tiny smile. "Foul mouth and all."

He reaches for the lube, squeezing more into his hand before batting Jongdae's hand away from his cock and replacing it with his own, and it's only then that it really sinks in, that it's been almost a whole month since Junmyeon's been able to touch him like this. And although it's exciting—Jongdae can't even find the words to describe how much he's been looking forward to this visit—there's a tiny piece of him that craves the quotidian, a part of him that wouldn't mind the novelty wearing off if it meant he got to see Junmyeon more often than this. The sex is good—it's _great_ , honestly—but it's not the prospect of temporary celibacy that gets Jongdae down at the end of their brief trysts.

Baekhyun is Jongdae's best friend, yes, but Junmyeon is that and more. Junmyeon sees him for more than the snarky, shallow, guarded persona Jongdae had built around himself when he started college, and he always has, even if Jongdae wasn't prepared to acknowledge that fact until earlier this year. Junmyeon has the uncanny ability to peel away the thick exoskeleton of sarcasm and irony and self-deprecation that Jongdae's cocooned himself in since he hit puberty, and he manages to do it in a way that makes Jongdae feel increasingly more at ease about baring his soul to another person—something he never thought he'd feel comfortable doing. Junmyeon is kind and smart and considerate, and he makes Jongdae laugh (in spite of all protests to the contrary), and he _listens_. Jongdae couldn't have dreamed a better man into existence if he tried. And yes, maybe he's young, maybe he hasn't lived long enough or loved anyone else enough to say for certain, maybe he's foolish to even consider the thought… but he thinks that Junmyeon might be the love of his life anyway, and it would be nice if circumstances allowed them more time together so Jongdae could come up with a firm answer on the subject.

"Jongdae?"

At the sound of his name, Jongdae snaps out of his reverie and focuses his gaze on Junmyeon's face. "Sorry," he says with a faintly sheepish smile. "That feels really good. It just got me thinking about something, that's all."

Junmyeon raises an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Nothing," Jongdae says, keeping the details of his sentiments to himself for the time being. He pats Junmyeon's leg. "Just that I like you a lot, that's all. And not just because of that, obviously."

He nods toward Junmyeon's hand, and Junmyeon smiles and stills his movement, scooting forward. "Okay," he says, "but what about this?"

Jongdae watches as Junmyeon braces himself with one hand on Jongdae's chest, the other still wrapped around his cock, and he lets out a moan as Junmyeon slowly begins to guide it into himself, sinking over the head and down the shaft until his ass is firmly planted in Jongdae's lap again.

"Fuck," Jongdae whispers weakly, fingers grasping for purchase in the firm muscle of Junmyeon's thighs. "Oh, _fuck_. Don't—" He clutches at Junmyeon's hips as he makes to rise up, to start riding him. "—don't move."

"I won't," Junmyeon says mildly, settling in Jongdae's lap. Jongdae lets all of the air out of his lungs in a slow stream and closes his eyes for a moment, blinking them open to see Junmyeon looking down at him, clearly amused. "Well, well, well… look how the tables have turned."

"Indeed." Jongdae narrows his eyes and digs his fingertips into Junmyeon's waist. "Who's the sex demon now?"

Junmyeon jolts, ticklish, and grins as he grabs hold of Jongdae's hands, lacing their fingers together as he pins them to the mattress on either side of the pillow. "It's about time you had a taste of your own medicine."

With that, he leans down to kiss Jongdae softly as he begins to rock back and forth on Jongdae's cock. Jongdae moans into the kiss, though the sound is probably more of a whine, if he's being honest with himself.

"Fuck," he gasps when Junmyeon breaks the kiss and buries his face in Jongdae's neck, kissing and nipping at his ears and throat and grinding into him all the while. "I'm gonna fucking _die_ , that feels so good. _Junmyeon_." Jongdae wiggles his fingers helplessly, wrists still caught in Junmyeon's firm grasp. "Lemme touch you."

"Hmm…" Junmyeon lifts his head wearing the absolute cockiest smile of all time, and Jongdae wants to _scream_. "No."

Jongdae _does_ shout then, though he's amused rather than actually upset. He lets the frustration fade from his expression and gazes up at Junmyeon with just the slightest pout to his lips. "Come on… don't you want me?" he asks, trying to strike the perfect balance between tempting and begging. "You always fuck me so good. Let me return the favor."

Still looming over Jongdae with hunger in his expression, Junmyeon sucks his lower lip into his mouth and seems to think about it for a few moments before loosening his grip on Jongdae's wrists and taking his hands instead. "You make a convincing argument," he says finally, sitting back and pulling Jongdae up with him. Wearing a crooked smile, he loops his arms around Jongdae's shoulders. "Have you thought about law school?"

"Hard pass," Jongdae snorts. "If there's anything I learned from _Henry IV_ in that Shakespeare seminar I took last year, it's that when the revolution comes, the lawyers are gonna be the first to go."

"Your instincts for self-preservation are impeccable, as usual," Junmyeon murmurs with amusement in his voice, leaning in to kiss Jongdae.

Jongdae eagerly receives the kiss, but not without a small note of protest. "What's that supposed to mean?" he laughs, tweaking one of Junmyeon's nipples and biting back a soft moan at the way he clenches around Jongdae's cock in response.

"Nothing," Junmyeon laughs in return. "Just that I love you and don't want a mob coming after you with torches and pitchforks or whatever." He kisses Jongdae once more, then fixes him with a smirk. "Now—are you gonna fuck me already, or are you just gonna sit here and keep being difficult?"

Jongdae's eyebrows shoot up. "Oh, _I'm_ being difficult?" he laughs. He smacks Junmyeon on the ass. "Off. Turn around."

Junmyeon pulls a face but obliges all the same. "What, you think you can just boss me around?"

"I _know_ I can," Jongdae says, shifting to kneel behind Junmyeon, "'cause I know you love it."

With that, he gives Junmyeon a smack on the ass and grips his hip with one hand, using the other to drag the head of his cock along the cleft of Junmyeon's ass. "You want it?" he teases.

"You know I do," Junmyeon says, sounding like he's gritting his teeth. He cranes his head to look back at Jongdae and pushes his hips back against Jongdae's cock. "Come _on_."

Jongdae smirks. "Say it."

Junmyeon hangs his head, the arch of his back going concave as he gives in. "Fuck me," he groans, and Jongdae can't say no to that. He guides himself back into Junmyeon, one hand clutching his hip, the other clamped around his shoulder, holding him still as Jongdae thrusts into him.

"This okay?" Jongdae grunts, trying to strike a balance in his movements: neither too fast nor too slow, neither too hard nor too gentle. He doesn't mind when Junmyeon is rough with him—rather enjoys it, actually—but he's not sure if Junmyeon feels the same.

"Mmmm…" Junmyeon leans forward slightly and shifts his knees back, changing the angle of his hips, pushing them back to meet Jongdae's thrusts. "Oh, _fuck_ — Jongdae— baby, that's so good—"

Jongdae simultaneously adores and yet is annoyed by the odd squiggle of delight in his gut at the sound of the endearment. _It is okay to like things_ , he tells himself, remembering something his therapist had said about how sarcasm and feigned disinterest stem from a fear of rejection. _You are most definitely_ not _being rejected right now._

He really, really isn't. The way Junmyeon's body responds to Jongdae's and the sounds that come out of his mouth make that abundantly clear. It is almost obscenely hot, watching himself disappear into Junmyeon over and over again, hearing the _thwap_ of skin on skin as his balls slap against Junmyeon's thighs, feeling the thin sheen of sweat under his palm where it rests at Junmyeon's shoulder and the tight clutch of his body around Jongdae's cock. Jongdae loves having Junmyeon inside him, but this… he could definitely get used to this.

The sensation is beginning to overwhelm him, though, and he grips Junmyeon's shoulder a little more firmly. "Shit," he hisses. "I don't know how much longer I can—"

"It's okay, don't stop," Junmyeon says, sucking down a gulp of air. "Just come."

"You don't wanna—" Jongdae doesn't stop, but he is a little confused. "You don't wanna change positions?"

Junmyeon makes an attempt to look over his shoulder. "Is that okay?" he asks, panting.

"Yeah, no, it's fine," Jongdae grunts. _Feels a little impersonal, but whatever_ , he thinks. "I was just checking."

And then, to Jongdae's chagrin, it hits him: maybe that stupidly romantic insistence on finishing in missionary was _Jongdae's_ thing all along, and Junmyeon did it to make him happy.

 _Oh, god_ , Jongdae thinks, and he accidentally snorts aloud at the realization: _I'm a total fucking sap._

"What are you laughing at?" Junmyeon asks, glancing over his shoulder again.

"Nothing," Jongdae says with a little grin and a shake of his head. "It just occurred to me that maybe I'm a little more sentimental than I let on."

"Oh, you _just_ figured that out?" Junmyeon drawls. "I could have told you that."

Jongdae slaps his ass. "No comments from the peanut gallery."

"Were you waiting for me to roll over?" Junmyeon needles him, his tone playful rather than derisive. "You wanna kiss me when you come?"

"God, you're mean when you get a dick inside you," Jongdae complains, shifting his grip from Junmyeon's shoulder to the back of his neck. "See if I ever fuck you again."

"You will," Junmyeon says with utmost confidence, and it is _infuriatingly_ attractive.

"You know what—" Jongdae releases his hold on Junmyeon and reaches forward, grasping the crook of each of his elbows and pulling him up until his back is flush with Jongdae's chest. "You're a hundred percent right."

" _Shit_ ," Junmyeon gasps as Jongdae slings one arm around his chest and uses his free hand to pump Junmyeon's cock while he thrusts into him. "Oh my god, Jongdae—"

Jongdae reaches up with two fingers to gently nudge at Junmyeon's chin, tilting Junmyeon's face toward his own. "I'm gonna come. Where's my kiss, hmm?"

Junmyeon twists the upper half of his body and clutches at Jongdae's face as he seals their lips together, Jongdae continuing to stroke him and pound into him as Junmyeon licks into his mouth. Within moments, Jongdae tightens his grip on Junmyeon's chest and groans into the kiss, his hips moving in sharp, staccato jerks as he empties himself into Junmyeon's ass. Junmyeon continues to roll his hips back onto Jongdae's cock until Jongdae brings him to completion as well, kissing his neck and pulling at his cock until he gasps, sensitive.

🏠

They take turns dragging themselves out of bed to clean up, first Junmyeon and then Jongdae. Junmyeon is curled up under Jongdae's comforter when he comes back in, and he folds back the corner of the blanket as if to invite Jongdae to join him.

"Thank yoooou," Jongdae trills, climbing into bed and burrowing into Junmyeon's arms. "It's chilly out there. I turned up the heat on the upstairs thermostat a little bit. Remind me to turn it back down before my parents get home or my dad will blow a gasket."

"Turn the thermostat down. Got it." Junmyeon loops his arms around Jongdae's middle, spooning him, and kisses his cheek before burying his face in Jongdae's neck for a few moments. He sets his chin against Jongdae's bony shoulder and sighs in what Jongdae can only assume is utter bliss.

Jongdae turns his head minutely and reaches down to pat Junmyeon's thigh under the covers. "Happy?"

"Mmhmm." Junmyeon is quiet, and Jongdae lets his eyes slip shut, thinking maybe he's falling asleep, but then, apropos of nothing, he says, "I haven't really had a chance to look around your room until now. I just noticed your furniture is positioned _exactly_ the same as it was in your old dorm room."

"What? It made my dorm feel more homey," Jongdae says a little defensively.

"I'm not criticizing," Junmyeon says in a kind voice, and Jongdae knew he wasn't, really, but being combative is second nature to him. "I just thought it was funny. Cute. Like you."

"Dork," Jongdae says with affection, rolling over. "And you could have seen my room before now, y'know, since you had an open invitation last night—which was a real honor, in case you weren't aware, considering you're the first and only person to be extended that courtesy."

Junmyeon props himself up on his elbow, intrigued. "Really?"

"Well, yeah," Jongdae says with a little less bravado. "I mean, I wasn't _out_ -out until the summer after freshman year and I didn't hit peak gay until midway through sophomore year, so it's not like I had anyone to bring home before now."

"Oh, god, I remember that," Junmyeon says slowly. "You came back after that summer, and I remember seeing you at the first newspaper staff meeting of the new semester and you were, like, a totally different person. I don't think I heard more than ten words out of you the entire year when you were a freshman, but I figured something must have happened over that summer because suddenly you were really talkative and funny and witty and you smiled a lot more."

"You can thank Baekhyun for that," Jongdae laughs. "He only lives, like, an hour away, so we basically lived at each other's houses that whole summer and—well, you know how he is." Junmyeon gives a little snort of laughter. "He kind of helped me get out of my shell and I stopped giving so much of a fuck about everything all the time. He can be a giant pain in the ass, but he's my best friend and this—" Jongdae gestures between himself and Junmyeon. "—wouldn't have happened without him. Although it might have happened sooner if you weren't so oblivious. Apparently everyone knew by the beginning of last year that I was in denial about having a thing for you _except you_."

Junmyeon winces, but he's smiling. "Well, my mom has said on more than one occasion that for someone as smart as I am, I display a startling lack of common sense."

"Your mother and I have that in common," Jongdae deadpans, patting Junmyeon fondly on the cheek. "But I can see why it would be hard to believe even if you did hear it from someone else, because it's not like I was all that nice to you." He scratches the back of his neck with a self-deprecating snort. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't just give up on me, to be honest."

"I mean, maybe I'm looking at it through rose-colored glasses because it all worked out in the end, but I think you're being a little hard on yourself. Like… yeah, okay, you have a bit of a sharp tongue, and occasionally you could be careless and dismissive, but it's not like you were hurling abuse at me every chance you got." Junmyeon reaches out to hold Jongdae's hand, giving it a squeeze. "And besides, those last few months of school, when I was constantly five seconds from a meltdown and felt so alone, you were the only person who wasn't constantly asking something of me or trying to solve my problems or telling me what to do. You were a really good friend to me when I needed one the most, and when I finally did have that nervous breakdown, you stuck around to take care of me even though you could have just grabbed your phone and ID and gone back to your dorm with me none the wiser."

Jongdae suddenly feels like his chest is too tight, but, oddly enough, not in a bad way. He shakes his hand free from Junmyeon's so he can pull Junmyeon into his arms instead. "I thought about just leaving," he confesses, resting his head on Junmyeon's chest. "I can't remember if I ever told you that."

Junmyeon shakes his head. "I don't think we ever really discussed that night in detail, though." Jongdae can't get a good read on his tone, but then Junmyeon adds, "I felt kind of weird and guilty for a while because I generally try to avoid thinking about that night. It's confusing, like… the memory of how awful I felt sort of infected my memories of the good stuff that happened in the aftermath?"

"No, I totally understand," Jongdae says, and he means it. "It's this dumb cycle that feeds itself, right? Like, you think about me coming into the office and basically throwing myself into your lap and blurting out that I liked you, and you think, 'God, that was nice, I really needed that,' but then you think, 'Well, _why_ did I need that kind of pick-me-up?' And then it's just, like… womp- _womp_."

"Yeah, that about covers it," Junmyeon laughs. "But at the same time, those few hours I was with you made me feel so much more… optimistic, I guess, going forward."

"I mean, the implicit promise of blowjobs on the regular is enough to help anyone see the silver lining," Jongdae says with a sly smile. "But it's nice to have someone around to snap you out of it when you feel bad. Not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything."

Junmyeon just studies him for a moment, and Jongdae's heart smacks into his ribcage with a _thunk_. He cups Jongdae's jaw in one hand, thumb brushing over his cheekbone briefly before he leans in for a kiss. "I'm glad you didn't leave." 

"Me too." Jongdae closes his eyes and leans into the touch. "Honestly, the only reason I even considered it was because I was scared you would get pissed at me for invading your privacy or whatever, or that I would make it worse by saying the wrong thing, because, y'know, it's me." He buries his face in Junmyeon's shoulder. "But it was _you_ , so I couldn't— I couldn't just bail, because I knew something had to be seriously wrong for you to be that upset."

"I wouldn't have been mad. I _wasn't_ mad, obviously," Junmyeon says with a dry laugh. "I sort of remember being glad it was you rather than someone else, but also being super embarrassed at the same time because, y'know, when you have a crush on someone, you kind of want them to see the best side of you at all times. You're supposed to save the mental breakdowns for _after_ they fall in love with you, when it's too late for them to jump ship." Jongdae laughs. "You know, for someone who once told me he would rather fling himself into a volcano than cry in front of another person, you were very calm,” Junmyeon remarks. “I thought you'd be really awkward, but you were surprisingly cool about it."

"I was surprised as you were, believe me," Jongdae snorts. "You know, it's really dumb in hindsight, but I guess I always thought you were kind of… invincible? Like, I had built you up in my head to be some kind of unattainable ideal—seriously, Petrarch's got nothing on me when it comes to putting people on pedestals." That gets a laugh out of Junmyeon. "And I think that's how I tricked myself into thinking I didn't like you, because it was so unfair that you were brilliant and gorgeous and a genuinely good person who worked hard but made it seem like everything came so easily, and it was also unfair that I would never have you _and_ I would never be half as good as you are at anything. _I know—_ " He cuts Junmyeon off before he can register his disagreement. "I mean, I was dead wrong on the first count, clearly, and I may be less motivated and less hardworking than you are—that's just a fact—but I'm no dummy."

"You're also gorgeous _and_ you're a genuinely good person," Junmyeon adds stubbornly, "even if you keep it to yourself most of the time."

Jongdae opens his mouth to crack a joke—at this point, it’s just a reflex—but ever since his therapist had pointed out his bad habit of deflecting praise (or criticism, at that) with humor, he's been trying to resist the urge. He’s not really sure what to say in lieu of a smart remark, though, so he settles for kissing Junmyeon again and murmuring his thanks.

When he settles back down, he spots a rogue eyelash on Junmyeon's cheek. "Oops, you've got—" He carefully catches it between his thumb and forefinger and holds it up on the pad of his forefinger, presenting it for Junmyeon to inspect. "Make a wish."

Junmyeon scrunches his nose cutely and thinks for a moment before blowing the eyelash away with a soft puff of air.

Jongdae snuggles into him. "What'd you wish for?"

"Can't tell you." Junmyeon kisses his forehead and wraps him up in his arms with another happy little sigh. "It's a secret."

🏠

They manage to have sex two more times, with just enough time to wash the sheets, turn down the thermostat, and clear the smell of sex from Jongdae's bedroom before Jongdae's parents get home—a Thanksgiving miracle, as far as Jongdae is concerned.

"Let's go out," Junmyeon says, sliding the last pillow into its pillow sham and popping it onto the newly made bed.

Jongdae looks at him, puzzled. "My parents are coming home in half an hour." 

"Exactly. And there is absolutely no way I'm going to be able to lie to your mother's face when she smiles at me and asks what we did all day."

"Fuckin' goody-two-shoes," Jongdae mutters with a smile and a shake of his head. "All right. Wanna go get dinner? See a movie? My treat."

"Ah, you don't have to do that," Junmyeon protests, but Jongdae is unswayed, suddenly excited.

"Yeah! I'll take you to get a cheesesteak—none of that tourist trap garbage, I'm talking a _legit_ cheesesteak—and then maybe we can go ice skating? There's a rink, like, right around the corner from the place I like, down by City Hall. And then maybe we can go see a late movie? That way my parents will be asleep by the time we get home and no one can ask us any dumb questions."

"All right," Junmyeon says. "But the movie tickets and popcorn and all that are on me. Otherwise, you're gonna end up dropping, like, a hundred bucks tonight in one fell swoop."

"Good point." Jongdae grins and throws his arms around Junmyeon's neck, hugging him tightly. "You're so smart. I'm so glad you're here."

Junmyeon squeezes him back with a sigh of contentment. "Me too. Shall we?"

Jongdae steps back and gestures toward his bedroom door as if to say _After you_. "We shall."

🏠

Jongdae awakes early the next morning, a short while before his alarm clock is due to go off. This is unsurprising; for some reason, restful sleep always seems to evade him the night before he has to travel anywhere.

Last night was a little better than usual, though, and the reason why is lying right beside him. He rolls over to look at Junmyeon and bites his lip to hold in a laugh at the sight of his eyebrow hairs sticking out in all directions. Reaching up to smooth Junmyeon's brow with a thumb, he whispers his name, gently drawing him out of sleep. Junmyeon's face scrunches up into a pouty frown before he yawns and blinks his eyes open, and Jongdae can't help but smile at the sight of it.

"Morning," Junmyeon murmurs, closing his eyes again.

"You _stayed_ ," Jongdae says softly but with feeling, cuddling into Junmyeon's side. "I was afraid you'd go back in the guest room in the middle of the night."

"Mmm, I should probably go roll around in the sheets, make it look like someone slept in that bed last night," Junmyeon mutters, making an effort to get up, but Jongdae flings out an arm and a leg to keep him down.

"Just stay until my alarm goes off, it's only another—" Jongdae lifts his wrist to check his watch. "Twenty minutes. Please?"

"A very compelling argument," Junmyeon says sleepily, head falling against Jongdae's chest. Jongdae cups his cheek in one hand and gently sifts through his hair with the other, scratching lightly at his scalp. "Mmmm. Love you."

Jongdae closes his eyes and smiles at the ceiling. "Love you too."

🏠

The morning passes in a flurry of activity—showers, getting dressed, packing bags, stripping beds, doing a final walkthrough of the entire house to make sure neither Junmyeon nor Jongdae forgot anything. Jongdae's parents take the two of them out for brunch on the way to the train station, and it's… really, really nice.

 _I could get used to this_ , Jongdae thinks, watching his parents and his boyfriend chatter like old pals after less than forty-eight hours of acquaintance.

At the train station, Jongdae's parents hop out of the car with Junmyeon and Jongdae to help them get their things out of the trunk and send them off.

"Bye, Junmyeon," Jongdae's mom says, and she sounds genuinely sorry to see him go. She wraps him up in a hug. "So great to finally meet you. Come back anytime, all right?"

Jongdae's dad releases him from a hug and looks between Junmyeon and Jongdae with something like hope in his eyes. "Maybe one of the weekends you're home for spring break, Jongdae?" He smiles at Junmyeon. "If the weather holds up and you feel like hitting the links…"

Jongdae stares at his dad, baffled. "Huh?"

"Golfing," Junmyeon explains with a little smile, giving the back of Jongdae's neck a fond squeeze before reaching out to shake hands with Jongdae's dad. "I'll double-check my schedule, but that sounds great."

Jongdae folds his arms. "What am I, chopped liver?"

Jongdae's dad's lips twitch, and he raises his eyebrows. "You wanna spend the whole day at the golf course?"

"Hell no," Jongdae starts forcefully, but then his dad's words finally sink in. "What, what do you _mean_ the whole _day_ —"

"You can argue about this later, you're gonna be late for your train," Jongdae's mom interrupts him, pulling him into a hug and giving him a big kiss on the cheek. "Bye, honey. See you in a few weeks, all right? Let us know when you get home."

"I will, I will." Jongdae steps back with a little smile and slings his duffel bag over his shoulder. "Bye, mom."

Jongdae and Junmyeon wave goodbye to Jongdae's parents at the door of the station, and Jongdae waits for them to drive off before tugging on Junmyeon's sleeve and pointing them in the direction of their platform, where their train has just arrived and is currently boarding.

"Wow," Junmyeon says with a brisk little shake of his head. "I think I love your parents."

"Well, then," Jongdae says, clapping him on the back as they line up and pull out their phones to show their electronic boarding passes to the conductor, "you'll be thrilled to hear that I'm pretty sure they love you, too."

🏠

It's not a long ride to New York—less than an hour and a half—and they have to stop in Newark to pick up more passengers along the way, so Jongdae's not totally surprised by the familiar voice that breaks his concentration as he tries in vain to beat Junmyeon in the final round of their Scramble with Friends match.

"Oh, there you are! Hey, Junmyeon."

Jongdae looks up to see Baekhyun standing in the aisle, one hand wrapped around the strap of his backpack, the other clutching the handle of his roll-aboard suitcase. He'd texted Jongdae the night before to confirm they were taking the same train back to school.

"I walked through, like, six cars before I spotted you g—" Baekhyun stops short when he notices Jongdae jerk his head slightly toward the back of the car and waves a hand as if to dismiss himself. "Actually, you know what? It's really not an interesting story. I'm gonna go over to the bar car and get a snack for the ride. You want anything?"

Jongdae smiles faintly and shakes his head, mouthing _Thank you_ at Baekhyun, who pats Jongdae on the shoulder and offers a smile and a "Nice to see you" to Junmyeon before he sets out for the bar car.

"Very smooth," Junmyeon says with a wry smile, putting his arm around Jongdae's shoulders. "If only everyone knew how to take a hint as well as Baekhyun."

"Sometimes he's a good friend," Jongdae says, cuddling up to Junmyeon as the train pulls out of the station.

"Understatement of the year." Junmyeon leans his head against Jongdae's. "I'm glad you have him."

Jongdae hums in assent and closes his eyes, trying to enjoy the last twenty minutes he's got with Junmyeon (until after Christmas, anyway). It goes quickly, though; soon enough, the train operator announces that they will shortly be entering New York Penn Station.

"Time to go," Junmyeon sighs, pressing his lips to Jongdae's temple.

Jongdae groans and winds his arms around Junmyeon's middle, squeezing him tight. "Noooooo."

"We'll see each other soon," Junmyeon reminds him, his hand sliding up to pet Jongdae's hair. "It's only a little more than a month until New Year's, and you can come up every weekend in January if you want to."

That lifts Jongdae's spirits a little. "Yeah?"

"Of course. Or I can always swing down and visit you again, if your parents are okay with it. I didn't get to see that much of Philadelphia this weekend, after all." Junmyeon nuzzles his cheek. "Just the most important part."

Jongdae cranes his head back to fix Junmyeon with a playful scowl even as his heart skips a beat. "Don't be cute."

"Don't be grumpy," Junmyeon retorts, kissing him matter-of-factly on the cheek as the train comes to a stop. He pulls Jongdae into a proper hug while the people around them busy themselves with pulling their bags down from the luggage racks. "Love you. Let me know when you get back to campus, all right?"

"I will," Jongdae says, his voice slightly muffled by Junmyeon's coat. "Love you."

Junmyeon pulls back with a smile and gets to his feet, pulling his duffel bag down from the luggage rack and slinging the strap over his shoulder. Glancing around surreptitiously for a moment, he leans down, holding the back of Jongdae's head in one hand as he steals a kiss. "So long," he whispers, straightening up.

"Bye," Jongdae says forlornly, reaching out to give Junmyeon's hand one last squeeze before he gets off the train.

Junmyeon turns around to wave goodbye once he's on the platform, and Jongdae waves him off with a feeble smile and waits for him to walk away before pulling the hood of his jacket over his head and slumping dejectedly against the window. _You can come back now_ , he texts Baekhyun, putting his phone down for a moment before thinking better of it and adding, _Wait can you also get me a snickers??_

Jongdae is startled a few minutes later by the rattling of the luggage rack over his head, and he turns to see Baekhyun standing on his tiptoes to shove his roll-aboard suitcase into the compartment. Satisfied, he plops into the seat Junmyeon had just vacated and wordlessly hands Jongdae the Snickers bar he'd requested.

"Thanks," Jongdae mumbles, tearing off the wrapper.

Baekhyun unzips his jacket and makes himself comfortable, finally relaxing into his seat and looking over at Jongdae with a sigh. "You wanna talk?"

Jongdae bites into the candy bar with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Nah, I'm okay."

Baekhyun studies him for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes. "Wanna order a pizza and watch a movie or something when we get back? I'll bring the beer."

It sounds like a good plan to Jongdae, but one question remains. "Don't you want to see Chanyeol?"

"I mean, yeah, but…" Baekhyun shrugs. "We live together. I'll see him when I get home."

Jongdae covers his mouth to chew and swallow a chunk of his Snickers bar before replying. "You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Baekhyun scoffs, swatting Jongdae's arm lightly with the back of his hand. He smiles. "My best friend needs me."

"I do not," Jongdae mumbles, touched. He reaches out to pound Baekhyun's arm and lets his head fall against Baekhyun's shoulder, still clutching the candy bar in his other hand. "Shut up."

Baekhyun laughs, letting his head rest against Jongdae's as the train doors close and the operator starts to read off the list of remaining stops. "Whatever you say."

"Jesus," Jongdae snorts, nibbling on his Snickers, "the way we look right now, I bet everyone who's been on this train to see Junmyeon leave is gonna think I'm some kind of unrepentant slut."

"Fuck 'em," Baekhyun says in a fierce whisper, and Jongdae is suddenly so glad they're in each other's lives that it makes his chest ache. "You're never gonna see any of these people again, and sometimes a guy just needs a platonic cuddle, damn it."

"Y'know," Jongdae says, shooting him a sidelong look, "sometimes you are very wise." 

"Shhh." Baekhyun puts an arm around Jongdae and claps him on the shoulder. "Eat your candy."

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATE 1/13/2020: so i wrote that joke about jongdae's mother never having to worry about him getting a girl pregnant and then like six hours later we find out HE ACTUALLY DID GET A GIRL PREGNANT!!!!! i just wanted to make it clear this was published BEFORE the news about his impending marriage came out and i wasn't making fun of him. i'm really happy for jongdae and i wish him and his fiancée all the best. ♥
> 
> ideally, i wanted to finish this around thanksgiving 2018 (i started it in october 2018, wtf), but life rarely turns out the way we want it to! i don't know what else to say. this is the first thing i've finished since "[you can't cross the line (but you can't stop trying)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17282381?view_full_work=true)" back in july, wow. it is deeply self-indulgent and I DON'T CARE because i love writing cute lovey-dovey shit, and at the end of the day, i gotta enjoy what i'm writing. anyway, if you like it, please please please kudos and comment and tell your friends. we jundae shippers gotta stick together, amirite?
> 
> a few other notes:
> 
>   1. title comes from the chorus of edward sharpe and the magnetic zeroes' song "[home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHEOF_rcND8)."
>   2. all junmyeon said to jongdae's dad, if anyone's wondering, is a very polite/humble version of "hi jongdae's dad, i'm junmyeon kim, it's nice to meet you." and jongdae's dad was like "uhhh… heyyyyy, junmyeon," lmao.
>   3. linda blair is the actress who played the little girl in _the exorcist_ , hence the head-spinning-around joke. i have not actually seen that movie because i am way too chickenshit for that but in case the reference flew over anyone's head, now you know.
> 

> 
> anyway, i hope i won't go another six months without posting something, because i have a bunch of WIPs burning a hole in my brain, but we'll see. work's about to get super busy and i'm taking another korean class starting in february, and that shit's only getting more difficult, but i'll do my best! <3
> 
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/pageandpetals) | [cc](http://curiouscat.me/pageandpetals)


End file.
